fly  yrwt  -(jniful  Jhttir 


THE   SPIRIT 


ROGER    WILLIAMS, 


A    PORTRAIT 


OF 


ONE   OF  HIS  DESCENDANTS. 


u  He  -was  a  man  of  spirit  true  and  bold  : 

Feared  not  to  speak  his  thoughts  whate'er  they  weTe."—Dur/ee. 


BY 

LORENZO    D.   JOHNSON. 


BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED    FOR   THE    AUTHOR, 

BY  CASSADY  AND  MARCH... .WILSON  LANE. 

1839. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1839,  by 

LORENZO     D.JOHNSON, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


TO     THE 

ROGER    WILLIAMS    CHURCH, 

AND    CONGREGATION, 

With  which  we  have  recently  dissolved  our   connexion  as 
Pastor,  in  the  mutual  enjoyment,  we  believt,  of  undying 
friendship  and  brotherly  love,  and  with  the  hope  that 
they  and  every  other  Christian  Church,  will  yet 
govern  themselves,  by  the  "  test  of  fellow 
ship  "  vindicated  in  these  pages, 

IS    THIS    LITTLE    VOLUME    RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED,  BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  unpretending  little  volume,  it  is  hoped,  will  not  prove 
altogether  uninteresting  to  those  who  may  favor  the  author 
with  its  perusal.  Should  it  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  rigerous 
sectary,  he  will  doubtless  be  induced  to  pass  the  sentence  of 
condemnation  on  the  writer's  views  of  Christian  liberty,  and 
what  he  considers  the  only  true  test  of  Christian  fellowship. 
But  such  are  respectfully  invited  to  lay  aside  prejudice,  at 
least  for  a  time,  and  carefully  to  compare  those  views  with 
the  precepts  and  practice  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  and 
then,  honestly,  and  with  the  true  Christian  spirit,  determine, 
whether  those  views  be  not  more  consistent  with  the  true 
spirit  of  religion,  with  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the 
church,  and  the  present  and  future  happiness  of  mankind, 
than  that  system  which  is  narrowed  to  a  single  point,  and 
excludes  from  fellowship  and  communion,  for  one  supposed 
error  in  judgment,  the  person  whose  heart  may  be  right.  To 
those  whose  views  agree  with  those  of  the  writer,  he  has  only 
to  say,  that  no  effort  has  been  made  at  embellishment ;  the 
only  object  being,  to  promote  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteous 
ness,  and  to  stimulate  others  to  co-operate  in  the  great  and 
glorious  work. 


VI  PREFACE. 

In  the  biographical  sketch  of  ROGER  WILLIAMS,  for  which, 
in  the  multiplicity  of  other  concerns,  the  author  is  mostly 
indebted  to  the  labors  of  another  person,  nothing  has  been 
attempted  beyond  a  brief  summary;  which,  concise  as  it  is, 
embraces,  in  a  plain  and  familiar  manner,  all  the  leading  and 
most  prominent  incidents  of  that  great  man's  long  and  useful 
life,  known  in  history.  It  is  the  substance  of  larger  vol 
umes,  detached  from  statistical  accounts,  and  incidental 
circumstances,  connected  with  colonial  history,  and  biog 
raphies  of  other  men.  It  shows  ROGER  WILLIAMS  up,  as 
he  was  seen  in  his  own  day;  standing,  in  relation  to  other 
men,  independent  and  alone;  and  will  prove  a  valuable  ac 
quisition  to  such  as  cannot  afford  to  possess  more  expensive 
works,  or  to  wade  through  a  large  mass  of  matter,  to  come  at 
a  comparatively  few  simple  facts.  In  the  appendix,  a  few 
notes  are  thrown  together,  which,  it  is  hoped,  may  prove  ac 
ceptable  to  the  reader.  At  any  rate,  the  writer  hopes  his 
humble  labors  may  not  be  altogether  unsuccessful  in  the  pro 
motion  of  the  great  cause  of  Christian  morals  and  human 
happiness ;  and  with  this  hope,  commends  the  little  volume, 
his  readers,  himself,  and  all  mankind,  to  the  divine  favor  and 
mercy. 

Providence,  January  1,  1839. 


THE   SPIRIT,    &c. 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  was  the  man  who  lived  and 
labored  for  all  coming  time.  *  With  great  propriety 
it  may  be  said  of  him,  as  Coleridge  said  of  Milton — 
"  that  he  lived  so  far  in  advanc.e  of  his  age,  as  to 
dwarf  himself  in  the  distance.'5  The  people  of  his 
own  times  did  not  understand  him — for,  while  he 
believed  every  man  should  be  left  entirely  free  from 
dictation  and  penalties  by  human  government,  in 
matters  of  conscience,  and  of  religion, — while  he 
believed  in  the  soul's  unchecked  and  entire  freedom, 
to  act  in  strict  accordance  with  those  high  and  fear 
ful  responsibilities  which  originate  in  its  own  con 
victions  of  truth  and  duty, — while  he,  ROGER  WIL 
LIAMS  thus  believed,  the  many  tender  mercies  of  his 
own  times  were  developed  by  an  attempt  ttrmake 
every  man's  conscience  for  him  ;  and  in  making 
every  act  of  resistance  to  that  attempt,  a  penal  of 
fence  ! 


8  THE    S  P IRIT    OF 

The  magistrates  and  law  makers  in  the  days  of 
our  forefathers,  were  not  satisfied  with  defending 
religion,  but  took  upon  themselves  also  to  define  it, 
and  then  to  enforce  uniformity  by  LAW  !  With 
these  views,  they  inflicted  punishments,  and,  in 
some  instances,  even  death,  on  those  whose  sense 
of  duty  led  them  to  act  differently  from  the  dictates 
of  the  standard  creed  ;  thus  becoming  the  judges  of 
other  men's  consciences.  ROGER  WILLIAMS  said, 
in  spirit,  this  enslaves  the  soul !  and  takes  down 
the  importance,  and  destroys  the  dignity  of  the  god 
like  and  undying  spirit  within.  He  said,  the  soul 
must  be  free  as  air — free  from  all  fear  of  man — 
free  to  obey  the  voice  of  God,  by  whom  alone  we 
must  be  judged  at  the  last  day.  He  said,  we 
must  have  unity  without  uniformity — and  in  taking 
this  position,  he  placed  a  RIGHT  CHARACTER  in  the 
foreground,  and  left  all  opinions,  considered  as  such, 
in  the  shade. 

—  We  would  not  represent  ROGER  WILLIAMS  as 
having  been  indifferent  to  doctrines  and  creeds. 
Perhaps  no  man  was  ever  more  tenacious  of  a  creed, 
than  he.  But,  though  tenacious  himself,  he  accorded 
to  every  other  person,  the  liberty  he  claimed  and 
exercised  for  himself,  in  matters  of  conscience.  He 
believed  in  the  right  of  private  judgment — in  the 
right  of  every  man  to  make  his  own  creed,  and  to 


ROGER   WILLIAMS.  9 

obey  the  truth  as  he  receives  it  from  the  word  of 
God,  in  accordance  with  his  own  conviction  of 
right. 

Leaving  the  mind  thus  free  in  its  inquiries  for 
truth,  and  free  to  obey,  he  reasoned  correctly  in 
coming  to  the  conclusion,  that,  with  such  an  almost 
infinite  variety  of  temperamants  and  modes  of  edu 
cation  as  will  ever  exist,  and  each  mode  predispos 
ing  the  mind  to  some  ideas  and  impressions  peculiar 
to  itself,  it  was  chimerical  to  expect  uniformity  of 
belief — and  that,  to  coerce  mind  is  impossible.  To 
enforce  uniformity,  is  to  destroy  freedom  of  thought, 
and  freedom  of  discussion,  as  well  as  sincerity ;  and, 
at  the  same  time,  it  enslaves  the  mind.  It  is,  in 
fact,  the  appropriate  method  to  increase  hypocrisy. 

Important  as  Mr.  Williams  believed  it  to  be,  to 
imbibe  and  maintain  correct  opinions,  yet  the  old 
adage  may  have  originated  in  his  theory,  that  it  is 
possible  for  a  man  to  be  orthodox  in  his  creed,  and 
heterodox  in  his  conduct ;  and  vice  versa.  Follow 
ing  out  this  theory,  we  see  creeds,  when  regarded  as 
a  test  of  fellowship,  receding  farther  and  farther  in 
the  back  ground,  untill  finally  lost  to  the  view  in 
the  distance. 

Follow  still,  and  you  see  the  Christian  world 
rallying  around  another  standard,  and  substituting 


10  THESPIRITOF 

another  test  of  fellowship  and  brotherhood  ;  and 
that  will  be  the  fruits  of  righteousness.  So  far  as 
this  theory  prevails,  men  will  go  forth  to  seek  out 
their  brethren,  guided  not  by  an  inquiry  for  a  par 
ticular  creed  ;  but  rather  by  the  test  the  Saviour 
gave  ;  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  This 
course  of  inquiry  brings  us  again  to  the  subject  of 
the  right  character,  without  any  reference  to  the 
creed,  in  an  abstract  point  of  view. 

When  all  the  various  sects  of  Christians  shall 
make  a  right  character,  consisting  in  holiness  of 
heart  and  life,  the  only  test  of  Christian  fellowship, 
calling  no  man  brother,  unless  he  doeth  the  will  of 
our  Heavenly  Father,  then  angry  strife  among 
Christians  about  doctrines,  will  cease,  which  has  so 
much  multiplied  sceptics,  and  hindered  the  conver 
sion  of  the  world  to  Christ.  Then,  being  put  upon 
the  right  character,  in  order  to  obtain  fellowship  in 
the  church  of  God,  will  candidates  for  membership 
seek  more  earnestly  what  they  should  le,  rather  than 
what  they  should  believe. 

Loose  as  this  course  may  appear  with  reference 
to  doctrine,  and  wide  as  it  would  seem  to  open  the 
door  through  which  heresy  might  gain  admission 
into  the  church,  there  is  no  better  mode  of  keep 
ing  her  pure  in  her  life,  and  doctrine ;  for,  first, 
on  this  theory,  the  church  is  built  upon  the  fruits, 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  11 

or  evidences  of  a  Christian  character,  without 
particular  respect  to  doctrine,  and,  however  incor 
rect  the  members  of  such  a  church  might  be  in  this 
particular,  it  is  an  evil  infinitely  less,  than  to  find  a 
church,  were  such  a  thing  possible,  correct  in  doc 
trine,  but  without  the  spirit  and  practice  of  religion. 
But  it  is  impossible  for  a  church  to  be  composed  of 
members  who  bear  the  "Jruit"  and  "do  the  will 
of  God,"  without  having  the  truth  somewhere.  If 
it  be  not  developed  in  the  theory,  which  the  brother 
has  adopted,  perhaps  by  force  of  education — if  it  be 
not  in  the  head,  it  will  be  found  to  influence  the 
heart.  Our  Saviour  gave  us  no  surer  way  to  find 
right  doctrine,  than  by  seeking  out  a  right  charac 
ter.  "  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know 
of  the  doctrine,"  was  his  language  to  the  multitude. 
The  secret  is,  no  heart  can  understand  the  word  of 
God,  unless  its  truths  be  sought  for,  with  a  sincere 
desire  for  obedience.  We  therefore  repeat,  that,  if 
the  various  sects  would  relinquish  creeds  as  the  test 
of  fellowship,  and  substitute  for  them,  a  right  char 
acter,  a  character  which  can  be  known  by  its 
"  fruits,"  we  should  no  longer  hear  the  paradoxi 
cal  language  now  in  use,  "  we  believe  him  to  be  a 
Christian,  and  that  he  would  go  to  heaven,  should 
he  die ;  but  he  is  not  a  Baptist,  a  Methodist,  an 
Episcopalian,  or  a  Presbyterian,  as  the  case  may 


THE    SP  IB.IT    OF 

be,  and  therefore  we  cannot  fellowship  him  as  a 
member  of  our  church  !  "  How  common  is  such 
language. 

Now  in  our  opinion,  no  church  on  earth  ought  to 
be  so  constituted,  as  to  feel  itself  compelled  to  pay 
such  a  deference  to  creed,  or  usage,  as  to  refuse  to 
extend  fellowship  and  watchcare  to  any  one  they 
believe  approbated  of  Christ,  and  who,  they  also 
believe,  would  be  received  into  the  church  in  heaven, 
should  he  die.  We  would  then,  lay  this  down  as  a 
principle — that  those  who  are  fit  to  enter  the  church 
in  heaven,  are  fit  subjects  for  membership  in  the 
purest  church  on  earth,  and  should  not  be  rejected 
for  nonconformity  to  certain  creeds  and  formularies. 
It  may  now  be  inquired,  in  following  out  this  princi 
ple,  shall  we  not  see,  in  one  local  organization,  or 
branch  of  the  church  of  God,  some  who  are  bap 
tized  by  immersion,  some  by  fusion,  and  others  by 
sprinkling,  together  with  their  irresponsible  infant 
offspring  ?  If  we  shall  not  have,  in  the  same  body, 
some  who  believe  in  Calvinism,  and  others  in  Ar- 
mineanism,  and  so  on  ?  Perhaps  so,  but  what  then  ? 
Let  it  be  remembered  that,  if  the  test  of  fellowship 
be  the  Christian  character,  and  if  this  test  be  strictly 
adhered  to,  persons  thus  gaining  admission,  will  be 
Christians,  whatever  the  modes  of  belief,  and  this 
is  the  best  of  all.  It  should  also  be  recollected  that 


ROGER   WILLIAMS.  13 

the  fellowship  of  such  a  body  of  Christians,  is  not 
founded  on  forms  and  means,  but  on  the  GREA.T 
END  of  true  religion,  the  right,  or  Christian  charac 
ter.  Heterogeneous  as  this  mass  may  appear  to  a 
sectarian  eye,  yet,  in  the  substantials  of  religion, 
these  Christians  will  be  sweetly  united  in  fellowship 
— a  fellowship  that  shall  survive  all  sectarianism ; 
for  it  subsists  not  on  profession,  or  on  uniformity  of 
creed  or  name,  but  on  character. 

There  is  never  so  much  difference  of  opinion  as 
to  the  substantial  parts  of  religion,  the  parts  which 
pass  with  us  from  this  life  to  the  next,  and  which 
"give  us  boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment,"  as  about 
mere  modes  of  belief.  In  short,  it  is  not  about  the 
faith  in  which  salvation  lies,  that  men  differ.  Who 
has  ever  witnessed  an  angry  debate  on  the  subjects 
of  goodness  of  heart,  and  Christian  morals  ?  On 
these,  all  agree  ;  it  is  only  on  what  is  intended 
as  means,  that  we  differ  in  opinion. 

The  last  point  to  which  this  principle  will  lead 
us,  is  this: — When  character  shall,  in  all  churches, 
and  among  all  Christians,  be  made  the  test  of  fel 
lowship  and  membership,  and  every  man  be  left  to 
make  his  own  creed,  sectarianism  must  die  ;  and 
that,  for  the  very  obvious  reason,  that  there  will  be 
nothing  to  differ  about,  which  can  operate  as  a  bar 
to  union  of  heart  and  affections ;  while,  in  matters 


14  THE    SPIRIT    OF 

of  form  and  means,  each  one  having  the  liberty  to 
judge  for  himself,  if  they  cannot  agree  to  think  alike, 
they  will  agree  to  differ.  And  about  goodness  of 
heart,  there  can  be  no  contention,  except  in  the  glo 
rious  rivalry  as  to  who  shall  rise  to  the  highest  point 
of  excellence,  in  the  scale  of  Christian  morals. 
Glorious  emulation  indeed  !  May  its  prevalence 
become  universal ! 

Not  until  the  church  shall  Lave  taken  this  posi 
tion,  will  she  be  able  to  demonstrate,  with  an  all 
pervading  evidence,  to  Jews,  Mahometans,  and  Pa 
gans,  that  her  Saviour  is  the  Lord  from  Heaven. 
How  fervent  was  His  prayer,  "  that  they  all  may  be 
ONE,  that  the  world  may  believe  thou  hast  sent 
me." 

When  the  church  is  so  constituted  as  to  make 
character  the  only  test  of  fellowship,  irrespective 
of  creeds,  or  forms,  then,  and  not  till  then  will  the 
disciples  of  Christ  be  one.  But  now,  so  much  more 
importance  is  attached  to  doctrines,  ordinances  and 
modes,  that,  while  the  language  which  many  of  our 
churches  hold  towards  delinquents  in  conduct  is 
"we  must  bear  with  them,"  yet  let  the  member  of 
a  Baptist  church  express  a  wish  to  have  his  infants 
baptised,  or,  let  the  member  of  a  Calvinist  church 
fall  into  Armenianism,  and  he  is  not  the  subject  of 
forbearance  !  It  is  a  heresy  ;  therefore  toleration  is 


ROGER    WILLIAMS  .  15 

sin !  and  he  soon  finds  the  door  of  the  church, 
whatever  may  be  his  character.  So  it  ever  will 
be  while  articles  of  faith,  and  modes  of  government, 
or  any  other  thing,  is  a  test  of  fellowship  and  mem 
bership,  besides  holiness  of  heart  and  life. 

That  ROGER  WILLIAMS  contemplated  all  the 
results  of  which  we  speak,  we  will  not  undertake  to 
say ;  though  they  legitimately  proceed  from  the 
premises  he  assumed,  and  the  general  principle  of 
action  which  he  adopted  and  enforced.  This  it 
was,  which  carried  him  forward,  out  of  sight  of  his 
own  times,  and,  may  be,  like  the  ancient  prophets, 
even  out  of  sight  of  himself. 

With  the  ministry  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  he 
was  decidedly  dissatisfied;  and,  what  wonder?  When 
he  saw  them  attempting  to  purify  the  church,  and 
to  protect  it  from  heresy,  by  the  strength  of  the 
secular  arm,  instead  of  the  force  of  moral  power, 
there  could  be  no  wonder  that  he  was  dissatisfied. 
On  this  subject,  he  said,  "  In  the  poor  small  span  of 
my  life,  I  desired  to  have  been  a  diligent  and  con 
stant  observer  ;  and  have  been  myself  many  ways 
engaged,  in  city,  in  country,  in  court,  in  schools,  in 
universities,  in  churches,  in  Old  and  New  England, 
and  yet,  cannot  in  the  holy  presence  of  God,  bring 
in  the  result  of  a  satisfying  discovery,  that  either  the 
begetting  ministry  of  the  Apostles,  or  Messenger  to 


16  THE    SPIRIT    OF 

the  churches,  or  the  feeding  and  nourishing  ministry 
of  pastors  and  teachers,  according  to  the  first  institu 
tions  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  are  yet  restored  and  extant." 

The  fact  is,  the  universal  adoption  of  his  own 
principles  was  destined  to  produce  an  order  of  things 
so  different  from  that  under  which  he  lived,  as  re 
spected  the  church,  and  so  much  more  glorious, 
that  it  is  not  at  all  surprising,  that,  removed  as  he 
was  at  such  a  remote  distance  from  the  result  he 
should  have  seen  the  event  only  "  as  through  a  glass, 
darkly."  Nor  is  it  strange,  that  the  brightness 
of  the  glorious,  though  distant  day,  even  though 
shining  through  the  vista  of  ages,  should  so  have 
dazzled  his  organs  of  vision,  that,  to  use  a  beautiful 
scripture  simile,  he  only  saw  "  men  as  trees  walk- 
ing." 

Though  more  than  two  centuries  have  elapsed, 
since  ROGER  WILLIAMS  first  proclaimed  the  princi 
ple,  then  new  to  the  Christian  world,  that  the  CIVIL 

POWER  HAS  NO  RIGHTFUL  JURISDICTION  OVER  THE 
CONSCIENCE,  AND  CANNOT  CONTROL  THE  RELIG 
IOUS  OPINIONS  OF  MEN,  yet  our  own  age  has  not 
come  up  with  him.  We  have  not  yet  imbibed  his 
philosophy  in  its  full  extent,  and  hence  it  is,  that 
the  name  which  future  ages  shall  revere,  as  that  of 
the  noblest  apostle  in  the  cause  of  the  soul's  freedom 
in  modern  ages,  is  but  imperfectly  known. 


ROGER   WILLIAMS  .  17 

Let  us  pause  here  for  a  moment,  and  inquire, 
were  ROGER  WILLIAMS  now  among  us,  what  posi 
tion  would  he  occupy  in  the  great  moral  conflict 
which  is  now  in  progress?  Though  we  stood  listen 
ing  over  the  grave  of  this  great  and  good  man,  no 
voice  from  his  slumbering  dust  might  be  heard  to 
point  out  the  precise  part  of  the  field  of  moral  re 
form,  to  which  he  would  devote  his  labors  with  the 
greatest  energy  and  delight.  But,  of  one  thing  we 
may  rest  assured,  that,  what  he  believed  to  be  right 
and  duty,  that  would  he  do.  If  there  was  one  trait 
in  his  character,  more  resplendent,  or  more  promi 
nent  than  another,  it  was  uncompromising  integ 
rity  and  fixedness  of  purpose,  in  what  he  consid 
ered  to  be  duty,  and  an  ardent  attachment  to  truth. 

ROGER  WILLIAMS  was  a  man  highly  endued  with 
moral  courage.  He  never  flinched,  nor  turned  aside 
from  his  course,  for  fear  of  consequences.  It  was 
enough  for  him  to  know  what  duty  demanded.  He 
yielded  ready  obedience,  and  left  the  results  in  the 
hands  of  his  God.  Were  he  a  sojourner  with  us, 
we  think  it  would  be  difficult  for  him  now,  as  it  was 
two  hundred  years  ago,  "  to  bring  in  the  result  of  a 
satisfying  discovery,  that  many  of  the  present  min 
istry,  are  the  begotten  ministry  of  the  apostles." 
Would  not  his  righteous  soul  be  grieved,  to  see  so 
many  of  our  ministers  sitting  in  their  parishes  like 
2 


18  THE    SPIRIT    OF 

birds  of  prey,  perched  in  high  places,  pondering  to 
learn  what  the  people  will  bear,  and  studying  so  to 
mould  the  truth,  if  truth  they  preach,  as  to  give  no 
offence,  that  the  ministry  be  not  blamed;  and  so 
turning  the  truth  of  God  into  a  lie  ?    Would  he  not 
be  surprised,  to  see  how  quietly  man-stealers,  tra 
ders  in  human  flesh,  can  sit  in  our  churches,  receiv 
ing  no  rebuke?     And  would  not  the  surprise  be 
overwhelming,  to  hear  our   ministers    bring    forth 
scripture  apologies,  as  anodynes  for  the  conscience, 
to  those,  who  unman  the  image  of  God,  and  reduce 
their  fellow  men  to  articles  of  merchandize — lest  they 
should  feel  disturbed  by  the  rays  of  light  now  shed 
upon  the  civilized  world.     Would  not  ROGER  WIL 
LIAMS  be  astonished,  should  he  rise  from  his  grave, 
and  go  into  the  churches,  in  whose  neighborhood 
are  living  springs*  of  pure  water,  which  he,  like 
father  Jacob,  had  bequeathed  to  posterity,  and  there 
find  spirit  drinkers,  church  members  ?     And  there, 
also,  the  lottery  gambler,  and  the  licentious  person  ! 
When  he  had  surveyed  the  entire  mass,  would  he 
not  find  there,  the  man  who  oppresseth  the  hireling 
in  his  wages,  and  the  man  who  stands  ready  when 
his  country  calls,  to  go  forth  in  the  name  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace,  to  swell  the  "  noise  of  war,"  and 

*  See  note  A. 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  19 

multiply  the  "  garments  rolled  in  blood,"  with  assur 
ance  of  the  PARSON'S  prayers  for  success? 

Methinks  1  hear  the  astonished  spirit  of  ROGER 
WILLIAMS,  as  it  stalks  forth  among  the  things  of 
earth,  inquiring  of  the  first  minister  who  falls  in  its 
way,  "  Have  you,  still,  the  Christian  scriptures,  or 
have  you  adopted  some  heathen  code  ?  The  Koran 
it  cannot  he  ;  for  that  prohibits  the  use  of  intoxicat 
ing  drinks."  The  Pastor  replies,  "  No — we  still 
retain  the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  and  they  inform  us  that 
the  wheat  and  the  tares  must  grow  together  until 
the  harvest ;  and  besides,  for  the  sake  of  peace  in 
the  church,  we  suffer  sin  upon  our  neighbor ;  hop 
ing  that,  by  holding  the  flock  together,  all  may  be 
turned  from  the  error  of  their  ways."  "  But,"  re 
sponds  the  spirit  of  ROGER  WILLIAMS,  "  your  plan 
is,  to  '  Do  evil,  that  good  may  come ' — besides, 
how  can  you  expect  to  convert  sinners  from  the  error 
of  their  ways,  unless  you  make  an  application  of 
TRUTH  to  their  minds  ?  For  this  you  have  no  '  Thus 
saith  the  Lord.'  Your  desire  to  preserve  the  peace 
of  the  church,  has  originated  in  the  fear  of  losing 
your  settlement,  your  salary,  or  your  popularity. 
God  will  hold  you  responsible  for  all  the  sins  you 
have  covered  over,  or  suffered  to  pass  unrebuked. 
And  of  how  much  value  is  the  peace  you  labor  with 
so  much  assiduity  to  preserve  ?  It  is  of  no  intrinsic 


20  THESPIRITOF 

worth.  It  is  merely  superficial.  It  is  a  healing  of 
the  surface  only, — the  probe  of  the  surgeon  will 
lay  open  the  gangrene.  Your  peace  is  your  ruin. 
Agitation  alone  can  save  you, — agitation  of  the  whole 
body,  until  you  produce  the  scripture  evidences  of 
soundness,  on  which  to  build  with  safety." 

Methinks  I  hear  the  immortal  WILLIAMS,  on  his 
terrestrial  visit,  farther  inquire,  "  Why  does  the  work 
of  the  world's  conversion  to  Christ,  move  on  at  a 
pace  so  slow  and  languid  ?  Why  does  Christianity 
exert  an  influence  so  feeble,  over  the  nations  ?  Why 
is  it,  that  the  Christian  name,  wherever  it  is  heard, 
carries  with  it  such  a  dread  of  the  men  who  bear 
it?  Is  it  not  because  they  have  been  unkind  and 
cruel  ?  Because  they  have  waged  so  many  wars, 
and  carried  so  many  of  their  fellow  beings  into  cap 
tivity  and  bondage  ?  Your's  is  a  corrupted  Christi 
anity  ! — In  your  hands  it  requires  to  be  both  revised 
and  defined  ! — You  must  take  higher  ground,  or 
you  cannot  be  instrumental  in  turning  this  unregen- 
erate  world  to  Christ.'' 

It  forms  no  part  of  our  plan,  to  write  a  new  biog 
raphy  of  ROGER  WILLIAMS.  It  is  our  purpose 
merely  to  select  some  of  the  most  prominent  and 
striking  incidents  of  his  life,  and  place  them,  in  a 
condensed  form,  and  in  a  small  volume,  the  cheap- 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  21 

ness  of  which  shall  enable  all  those  who  wish  for 
some  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  FOUNDER  of 
Rhode  Island,  to  possess  it ;  and  who  might  not  be 
able  to  avail  themselves  of  n:ore  expensive  works. 
Doubtful,  however,  of  his  own  ability  to  make  the 
best  selections  from  a  life  of  more  than  seventy  years, 
the  author  has  taken  the  liberty  to  select  and  abridge 
from  the  Biography  of  Roger  Williams,  an  excel 
lent  work  written  by  Professor  Knowles.  Rev.  Mr. 
Upham,  a  gentleman  of  Salem,  Mass.,  well  known 
as  an  intelligent  historical  lecturer,  and  author  of  the 
Life  of  Sir  Henry  Vane,  was  written  to  for  assist 
ance,  he  being  the  writer  of  a  life  of  Roger  Wil 
liams,  in  two  lectures,  delivered  before  the  "  Society 
for  the  Diffusion  of  Useful  Knowledge,"  in  Boston, 
and  in  other  places,  to  multitudes  of  delighted  audi 
tors.  We  were  in  hopes  of  obtaining  his  aid  in 
making  up  this  little  volume,  but  he  was  unable  to 
lend  his  assistance,  in  consequence  of  a  press  of  en 
gagements,  and,  in  reply  to  the  request,  favored  us 
with  the  following  note,  which  we  have  liberty  to 
publish. 

Salem,  Nov.  8,  1838. 
REV.  L.  D.  JOHNSON  ; — 

Deai'  Sir : — It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  hear 
that  you  intend  to  prepare  a  memoir  of  Roger  Wil 
liams.  As  the  church  of  which  you  are  Pastor, 


K&  THESPIR1TOF 

professes  to  adhere  to  his  leading  principles  of  faith 
and  order,  there  is  an  evident  propriety  in  your  de 
sign  to  illustrate  his  character  and  spirit  in  a  bio 
graphical  notice  of  him. 

The  churches  and  people  of  Rhode  Island  cannot 
over-estimate  the  claims  of  Roger  Williams  to  their 
grateful  remembrance.  He  was  not  without  the 
infirmities  of  human  nature,  and  partook  of  the  pe 
culiarities  of  his  times.  His  controversial  tone,  like 
that  of  Milton,  and  his  contemporaries  in  general, 
was  severe  and  violent ;  and  perhaps  he  is  liable  to 
the  charge,  to  which  all  enthusiastic  and  ardent  re 
formers  and  dissenters  are  exposed,  of  having  been 
too  strenuously  and  exclusively  intent  upon  the  en 
forcement  of  his  favorite  theories  and  principles. 
But  those  theories  and  principles  of  government  in 
Church  and  State,  to  the  defence  of  which,  the  long 
life  of  Roger  Williams  was  devoted,  were  of  supreme 
importance,  and  the  liberty  and  peace  of  nations, 
and  the  prosperity  and  glory  of  the  Christian  church, 
depend  .upon  their  adoption  and  diffusion. 

Roger  Williams  was  a  very  learned  man.  He 
had  a  noble  genius,  and  a  truly  generous  and  benev 
olent  spirit.  He  was  sincere  and  brave  in  his  tem 
perament,  profound  and  comprehensive  in  his  views ; 
and  his  moral  sentiments  were  expanded,  and  warmed 
by  the  genuine  influence  of  Christian  love  and  piety. 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  23 

•  He  was  a  most  worthy  founder  of  a  free  state ; 
an  asserter  of  civil  and  Christian  liberty  upon  the 
only  true  principles,  which  he  was  among  the  first, 
if  not  the  very  first,  to  comprehend  and  maintain; 
and  a  benefactor  of  the  whole  civilized  and  Christian 
world,  inasmuch  as  he  faithfully  advocated,  and  suc 
cessfully  established  their  principles,  causing  them 
to  strike  their  roots  so  deep  into  the  colony  he  plant 
ed,  that  they  can  never  be  eradicated  ;  but  will 
flourish  there  forever.  Those  principles  will  at  last 
be  transplanted  from  Rhode  Island,  into  every  part 
of  Christendom. 

You  have  my  best  wishes  in  your  undertaking, 
and  I  shall  rejoice  in  your  efforts  to  extend  the  in 
fluence  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  by  making  more 
generally  known  and  appreciated,  the  character  and 
memory  of  one  of  their  earliest  and  worthiest  pro- 
mulgators  and  champions. 

With  sincere  regard,  your  friend, 

CHARLES  W.  UPHAM. 


Of  the  early  life  of  ROGER  WILLIAMS,  but  a  few 
facts  are  known.  In  his  own  writings,  there  is  noth 
ing  relative  to  his  parents,  or  the  place  where  he 
was  born  and  educated ;  nor  to  the  events  of  his 
infancy  and  youth  ;  and  but  little  of  himself,  previous 
to  his  arrival  in  America.  It  is  said,  by  tradition, 


24  THE     SPIRIT     OF 

that  he  was  born  in  Wales,  either  in  1598  or  1599  ; 
and  Knowles  says,  "  He  possessed  the  Welch  tem 
perament — excitable  and  ardent  feelings,  generosity, 
courage,  and  firmness,  which  sometimes,  perhaps, 
had  a  touch  of  obstinacy."  Of  himself,  Mr.  Wil 
liams  says,  "  From  my  childhood,  now  about  three 
score  years,  the  Father  of  lights  and  mercies  touched 
my  soul  with  a  love  to  himself,  to  his  only  begotten 
Son,  the  true  Lord  Jesus,  to  his  holy  scriptures," 
&c. 

It  is  said  he  became  the  protege  of  the  celebrated 
Sir  Edward  Coke,  in  consequence  of  the  ability 
manifested  by  him,  in  taking  notes  of  a  sermon,  in 
church,  while  a  boy.  Sir  Edward  took  him  under 
his  care,  and  gave  him  a  collegiate  education  ;  after 
which,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  law ;  but 
preferring  that  of  theology,  he  turned  his  attention 
to  that,  and  was,  in  the  end,  ordained  as  a  clergy 
man  of  the  Episcopal  church.  His  preaching  is 
said  to  have  been  highly  esteemed,  and  his  charac 
ter  to  have  been  revered. 

Roger  Williams  came  to  America  at  about  thirty- 
two  years  of  age.  He  came  over  in  the  ship  Lyon,* 
Capt.  Peirce,  from  Bristol,  Eng.,  together  with  his 
wife,  and  about  twenty  other  passengers ;  and  ar 
rived  in  Boston  harbor,  February  5,  1630-1. 
*  See  Note  B. 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  25 

The  assistant  teacher  of  the  church  at  Salem 
having  died,  Mr.  Williams,  by  invitation  from  the 
church,  assumed  the  office,  in  a  few  weeks  after  his 
arrival  from  England.  But,  in  accordance  with  the 
spirit  of  those  times,  the  civil  authorities  soon  inter 
fered  in  the  matter,  to  dissolve  the  connexion  be 
tween  him  and  the  Salem  church,  on  the  charge  of 
his  being  a  schismatic.  This  charge  was  preferred 
on  the  ground  that  Mr.  Williams  had  refused  to 
unite  with  the  church  at  Boston,  because  they  would 
not  proclaim  their  repentance  for  having  communed 
with  the  churches  of  England ;  and  that  he  had 
declared  that  the  civil  magistrate  ought  not  to  pun 
ish  the  breach  of  the  Sabbath,  nor  any  other  offence, 
as  a  breach  of  the  first  table  of  the  law ;  in  other 
words,  the  four  first  commandments,  which  prescribe 
our  duties  to  God. 

It  would  seem  that  the  reason  why  Mr.  Williams 
rebuked  the  church  at  Boston  "was,  that  many  of 
the  members,  while  in  England,  though  dissatisfied 
with  the  corruptions  of  the  English  church,  still 
continued  their  communion  with  it,  through  fear  of 
legal  consequences,  till  the  time  of  leaving  that 
country,  and  had  not  publicly  repented  of  the  act. 
That  the  magistrate  ought  not  to  punish  breaches 
of  duty  of  man  to  his  God,  needs  now  no  explana 
tion  or  defence.  The  soundness  of  the  doctrine  is 


26  THESPIRITOF 

admitted  on  all  hands,  though  it  is  not,  in  all  cases, 
carried  out  in  practice.  A  letter  was  despatched 
by  the  court  at  Boston,  desiring  that  the  church  at 
Salem  would  not  proceed  to  invest  Mr.  Williams 
with  the  sacred  office,  till  a  conference  had  been 
held  on  the  subject.  But  the  Salem  church  disre 
garded  the  mandate,  and  proceeded,  on  the  very 
day  of  the  court,  to  the  installation  of  Mr.  Williams, 
as  their  teacher.  In  about  a  month  afterwards, 
May  18,  1631,  Mr.  Williams  was  admitted  a  free 
man  of  the  Colony,  and  took  the  requisite  oath. 
But  he  was  not  destined  to  occupy  the  field  of  his 
labors  in  peace.  The  hand  of  persecution  was  let 
loose  upon  him ;  and  before  the  next  autumn  after 
his  settlement  at  Salem,  he  found  it  necessary  to 
seek  shelter  and  protection  at  Plymouth,  out  of  the 
Massachusetts  jurisdiction. 

It  is  not  probable  that  this  act  of  separation  was 
voluntary  on  the  part  of  the  church,  but  brought 
about  by  circumstances  beyond  their  control ;  for 
all,  even  his  enemies  included,  agree  that  Mr.  Wil 
liams  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  people  of  his 
charge,  and  was  again  received  by  them  with  open 
arms  two  years  after  his  flight  from  Salem,  and 
reinstated  in  the  sacred  office.  He  had  also  been 
received  respectfully  at  Plymouth  ;  and,  during  his 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  27 

stay  there,  officiated  as  assistant  teacher  in  the 
church  in  that  place. 

The  stay  of  Mr.  Williams  at  Plymouth,  intro 
duced  him  to  an  intercourse  with  the  Indians. 
They  frequently  visited  the  town,  and  he  visited 
them  in  their  native  wilds,  to  study  them,  and 
qualify  himself,  as  he  said,  to  "Do  the  natives 
good."  His  after  life  proved  this  profession  to 
have  been  sincere.  In  this  manner  he  formed  an 
acquaintance  with  Massassoit,  or  Ousarnequin,  Sa 
chem  of  the  Pokanokets,  and  with  Canonicus, 
Chief  of  the  Narragansets.  This  acquaintance, 
and  the  sentiments  connected  with  it,  proved  after 
wards  of  signal  benefit,  not  only  to  him  in  his  at 
tempt  to  establish  the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island,  but 
also  even  to  Massachusetts,  from  whose  domain  he 
was  eventually  driven,  by  unhallowed  persecution. 
Indeed,  it  is  thought  he  had  imbibed  the  desire,  and 
formed  the  intention,  of  taking  up  his  residence 
among  the  Indians,  previous  to  this  period;  sup 
posing  he  should  not  long  be  permitted  to  remain 
among  his  white  brethren. 

It  is  said  his  opinions  were  not  well  received  by 
the  leading  persons  at  Plymouth.  Probably  they 
were  too  much  tinctured  with  freedom  and  equality, 
to  suit  their  taste.  Yet  he  was  not  censured  by  the 
church,  and  so  great  was  the  attachment  to  him, 


28  THESPIBITOF 

that,  on  his  return  to  Salem,  some  accompanied  him 
to  that  place.  At  Plymouth,  his  first  daughter  was 
born,  in  August,  1633,  and  called  Mary,  after  her 
mother.  Soon  after  his  return  to  Salem,  the  Gene 
ral  Court  thought  proper,  once  more  to  call  him  to 
account;  and,  December  27,  1633,  the  Governor 
and  Assistants  convened,  to  consult  about  him. 

The  cause  of  offence,  this  time,  was  a  treatise 
written  to  the  Governor  and  Assistants,  and  to  the 
Governor  and  Council  of  Plymouth,  disputing  their 
right  to  the  lands  they  held  by  virtue  of  the  King's 
grant,  and  holding  that  the  mere  act  of  discovery 
constituted  not  an  ownership  of  the  land ;  and  that 
it  belonged  not  to  the  King,  or  to  them,  unless 
purchased  of  the  natives.  Also,  that  he  had  vir 
tually  charged  King  James  with  falsehood,  by  de 
nying  him  to  have  been  the  first  Christian  discoverer 
of  the  land,  as  that  monarch  claimed :  Also  that 
he  had  charged  King  James  with  blasphemy,  for 
calling  Europe,  Christendom,  or  the  Christian  world. 
Lastly,  that  he  had  applied  to  King  Charles,  three 
passages  in  Revelations ;  though  what  passages,  we 
are  not  told ;  probably,  however,  not  very  compli 
mentary  ones.  On  being  called  upon  to  retract,  he 
professed  that  the  book  was  written  only  for  the 
private  satisfaction  of  the  Governor  and  Council  of 
Plymouth,  and  that  no  other  copy  would  have  been 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  zy 

forthcoming  had  it  not  been  demanded  by  the  Gov 
ernor  of  Massachusetts.  He  appeared  again  at  the 
next  court,  and  gave  satisfaction  ;  and  there  the 
matter  dropped.  What  may  have  been  the  lan 
guage  and  spirit  of  the  book,  cannot  now  be  known  ; 
but,  as  far  as  the  points  stated  above  may  go,  they 
are  not  very  far  from  truth. 

For  a  time,  the  magistrates  let  him  alone.  He 
continued  in  Salem  ;  and,  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Skelton,  Pastor  of  the  church,  in  August,  1634,  he 
was  invited  to  succeed  him.  The  magistrates  re 
quested  that  he  should  not  be  ordained  ;  but  the 
church,  strongly  attached  to  him,  refused  to  be  dic 
tated,  and  Mr.  Williams  was  ordained  forthwith. 
This  act  was  called  "  a  great  contempt  of  authority ;" 
and  it  proved  the  basis  of  subsequent  persecution. 

Shortly  after  this,  new  charges  came  up  against 
him  from  the  court.  He  was  charged  with  preach 
ing  against  the  validity  of  the  King's  patent,  in  vio 
lation  of  an  alleged  promise  not  to  do  so;  alluding 
probably  to  his  "penitence"  as  it  was  called,  in  the 
case  of  the  offensive  treatise  already  spoken  of;  and 
also,  that  he  had  declared,  that  a  magistrate  ought 
not  to  tender  an  oath  to  an  unregenerate  man  ; 
thereby  having  communion  with  a  wicked  man,  and 
teaching  him  to  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain. 
The  first  of  these  charges  was  preferred,  and  a  sum- 


30  THE     SPIRIT     OF 

mons  granted,  Nov.  27,  1634 — the  latter,  April  30, 
1635.  He  was  heard  in  his  defence,  before  all  the 
ministers,  but  we  learn  nothing  farther,  than  that 
they  claim  that  he  was  fully  confuted. 

In  July  following,  he  was  again  called  up ;  and, 
on  that  occasion,  the  court  seems  to  have  brought  up 
the  old  charge  relative  to  punishment  by  the  magis 
trate,  for  breaches  of  the  first  table  of  the  law,  to 
gether  with  that  touching  oaths,  and  two  others,  in 
which  it  is  said  he  taught  that  a  man  ought  not  to 
pray  with  the  unregenerate,  nor  to  return  thanks 
after  the  sacrament,  nor  after  eating.  The  business 
was  postponed  ;  and,  in  October  of  the  same  year, 
he  was  again  called  before  the  court,  tried,  and  ban 
ished  from  the  colony.  He  subsequently  received 
permission  to  remain  till  spring  ;  but  continuing  to 
receive  company  at  his  house,  and  to  preach,  the 
Governor  and  Assistants  determined  to  send  him  to 
England.  This  determination,  however,  was  not 
carried  into  effect ;  for  before  the  force  arrived,  sent 
to  remove  him,  he  had  gone  from  his  home,  to  seek 
an  asylum  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Williams  left  Salem,  in  a  bad  state  of  health, 
in  January,  1635—6,  according  to  Knowles,  and  bent 
his  course  towards  Narraganset  Bay ;  where  he  and 
others  with  him  at  Salem,  it  is  thought,  had  for 
some  time  contemplated  making  an  attempt  to  found 


ROGER      WILLIAMS.  31 

a  colony.  According  to  his  own  account,  his  suf 
ferings  were  intense  ;*  he  having  been,  for  fourteen 
weeks,  destitute  of  bread  to  eat,  or  a  bed  to  lie  on ! 
Ousamequin,  Sachem  of  Pokanoket,  who  resided  at 
Mount  Hope,  near  Bristol,  R.  I.,  it  appears,  gave 
him  a  grant  of  land  in  the,  now,  town  of  Seekonk. 
Here  he  sat  down  on  a  spot  which,  according  to  the 
information  given  by  the  late  Moses  Brown,  to  Mr. 
Knowles,  appears  to  be  that  called  Manton's  Neck, 
between  the  Cove,  so  called,  and  Central  Bridge. 
It  is  probable  that,  during  the  remainder  of  the 
winter,  he  depended  on  the  Indians  for  subsistence  ; 
and  may  allude  to  the  fact,  as  Knowles  says,  in  the 
following  lines : — 

"  God's  Providence  is  rich  to  his, 

Let  none  distrustful  be  ; 
In  wilderness,  in  great  distress, 
These  ravens  have  fed  me." 

He  had  hoped  to  remain  here,  and  took  measures 
accordingly,  and  was  joined  by  several  friends ;  his 
wife  and  children  being  still  at  Salem.  But  finding 
himself  still  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts, 
he,  by  the  advice  of  Gov.  Winslow,  of  Plymouth, 
determined  to  make  another  remove.  Accordingly, 
he  embarked,  with  five  others,  in  a  canoe,  and  pro 
ceeded  down  the  river.  At  India  Point,  they  were 

*  See  Note  C. 


32  THESPIRITOF 

greeted  by  a  company  of  Indians,  with  the  friendly 
salutation  of  "  What  cheer  1"*  They  proceeded 
around  Fox  Point,  up  what  is  now  called  Provi 
dence  river ;  and  landed,  as  tradition  says,  on  the 
east  side,  near  the  spring  which  still  remains,  near 
the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Rev.  Doct.  Crocker's 
[Episcopal]  church,  and  near  which  spot  he  erected 
his  habitation. 

The  town,  the  settlement  of  which  was  thus 
commenced,  Mr.  Williams  called  Providence,  in 
commemoration  of  the  goodness  of  Divine  Provi 
dence  to  him,  and  this  was  the  foundation  of  the 
Colony,  now  State,  of  Rhode  Island.  Strange  as 
it  may  appear,  even  the  precise  year  in  which  this 
event  occurred  has  been  involved  in  doubt ;  but 
Mr.  Knowles,  after  a  long  and  patient  investigation, 
has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  took  place  in  the 
summer  of  1636;  the  same  year  in  which  the  set 
tlement  of  Hartford,  Con.,  was  commenced. 

Mr.  Williams  seems  to  have  experienced  little 
difficulty,  if  any,  in  procuring  land  from  the  natives, 
probably  owing  to  the  friendship  and  kindness  he 
manifested  for  them,  and  the  consequent  respect  they 
entertained  for  him,  as  is  evident  from  the  influence 
he  subsequently  exercised  over  them.  Indeed,  he 
says,  "  It  was  not  thousands,  nor  tens  of  thousands 

*  See  Note  D. 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  33 

of  money  could  have  bought  of  him  [Canonicus]  an 
English  entrance  into  this  bay."  He  farther  says, 
that  "  it  was  by  God's  mercies  "  he  "  was  the  pro 
curer  of  the  purchase,"  and  that  though  the  shyness 
and  jealousy  of  the  natives  would  have  prevented  it 
by  means  of  money,  he  did  it  by  means  of  acquaint 
ance  with  their  language,  and  favor  with  the  natives, 
and  other  advantages  which  it  pleased  God  to  give 
him.  Other  proofs  exist,  that  the  lands  were  granted 
rather  as  a  favor  to  a  friend,  than  for  pecuniary  con 
siderations  ;  and  the  subsequent  good  understanding 
which  prevailed  between  Mr.  Williams  and  his 
Indian  neighbors,  showed  that  the  confidence  of 
neither  had  been  misplaced. 

Of  the  lands  originally  purchased,  Mr.  Williams 
was  honestly  the  legal  proprietor ;  but  with  a  degree 
of  liberality  highly  honorable  to  him,  and  which 
proved  how  little  he  was  influenced  by  a  mercenary 
spirit,  he  divided  them  between  himself  and  his  as 
sociates,  equally,  and  at  the  original  cost.  He  might 
have  remained  proprietor  of  the  whole,  and  retained 
in  his  own  hands,  a  controlling  power  over  the  col 
ony  ;  but  his  was  the  master  spirit  of  equal  rights 
in  that  bigoted  and  arbitrary  age,  and  he  forbore  to 
avail  himself  of  the  favorable  opportunity  for  per 
sonal  aggrandizement,  to  carry  out  in  practice,  what 
he  had  embodied  in  theory — the  true  principles  of 
3 


34  THESPIRITOF 

DEMOCRACY  ;    and  established  the  first  government 
of  that  description,  known  in  the  Christian  world. 

We  now  find  Mr.  Williams,  an  exile  from  civil 
ized  society  for  conscience  sake,  probably  in  a  state 
of  poverty  and  almost  destitution,  surrounded  by  a 
few  trusty  friends  who  voluntarily  shared  his  banish 
ment,  in  a  dreary  wilderness,  in  the  midst  of  a  sav 
age  tribe,  dependent  on  Providence  and  his  personal 
efforts,  for  support  for  himself  and  a  dependent  and 
helpless  family.  But  his  firm  and  undaunted  spirit 
did  not  quail.  His  trust  was  in  God.  He  looked 
to  the  future  with  unshaken  confidence,  and  in  full 
possession  of  that  freedom  for  which  his  soul  panted , 
was  happy,  even  amidst  bodily  suffering.  True  to 
his  own  principles,  he  unfurled  the  banner  of  civil 
and  religious  freedom,  and  made  the  colony  he  had 
founded,  a  shelter  from  the  oppressor,  and  an  asy 
lum  for  the  oppressed,  without  respect  to  creeds  and 
formularies,  or  the  dogmatical  dictation  of  bigoted 
and  infatuated  men.  Hence  it  was,  that  the  articles 
of  agreement  he  drew  up,  required  of  those  who 
should  become  associates  with  him,  that  they  should 
submit  themselves  to  such  rules  and  regulations  as 
might  be  adopted  for  the  public  good,  "  in  civil 
things  only." 

As  a  proof  of  the  magnanimity  of  Mr.  Williams,  in 
July  of  the  same  year  of  his  banishment,  when,  in 


ROGERWILLIAMS.  35 

consequence  of  the  murder  of  a  Mr.  Oldham,  of 
Massachusetts,  by  the  Indians,  and  retaliatory  meas 
ures  which  followed,  a  bloody  war  with  the  Pequods 
appeared  inevitable,  he  readily  undertook  a  mission 
to  the  exasperated  savages,  at  the  solicitation  of  the 
government  which  had  banished  him  from  its  domain. 
He  "  took  his  life  in  his  hand  ; "  and  in  defiance  of 
all  hazard,  proceeded  to  the  Indian  carnp.  And, 
although  he  could  not  prevent  the  war,  his  influence 
dissuaded  the  Naragansets  from  joining  in  it ;  and 
by  which  means,  the  Fequods  became  an  easy  prey 
to  the  English,  and  were  completely  extirpated. 
Without  his  interference,  the  result  might  have  been 
fatal  to  the  English  colonists.  Yet,  notwithstanding 
the  friendly  part  he  acted  towards  Massachusetts  in 
this  affair,  and  his  successful  mediation  between 
that  government  and  the  savages,  they  gave  him  no 
mark  of  favor,  and  did  not  even  recall  his  sentence 
of  banishment ! 

In  1638,  Mr.  Williams  was  called  upon  by  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  a  second  time,  to  inter 
pose  his  good  offices  with  the  Indians,  to  procure 
satisfaction  for  an  act  of  violence  and  injustice. 
Forgetful  of  the  wrongs,  the  violence,  and  the  in 
justice,  which  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  his 
persecuting  brethren,  he  again  set  forward  on  the 
mission  of  peace.  He  met  the  savage  chief,  and 


36  THESPIRITOF 

demanded  satisfaction.  It  was  promptly  accorded, 
and  war  and  bloodshed  prevented  ;  and  yet,  ROGER 
WILLIAMS  remained  a  banished  man  ! 

Mr.  Williams  was  originally  of  the  church  of 
England,  but  broke  from  that  communion,  though 
he  appears  never  to  have  united  with  much  cordial 
ity  with  the  Puritans  of  New  England.  Indeed, 
however  mutually  conformable  may  have  been  their 
religious  opinions,  their  spirits  were  so  totally  dis 
similar  from  each  other,  that  a  union  between  them, 
would  have  been  like  that  of  oil  and  vinegar.  Dur 
ing  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  the  infancy  of 
the  new  colony,  no  church  appears  to  have  been 
organized,  though  meetings  of  worship  were  holden, 
and  Mr.  Williams  preached  to  the  people.  But,  in 
1638—9,  he  had  become  a  believer  in  the  necessity 
of  baptism  by  immersion,  and,  in  March  of  that 
year,  he  and  ten  others  were  baptized  by  Mr.  Hol- 
liman.  A  church  was  then  formed,  said  to  be  the 
first  Baptist  church  ever  constituted  in  the  British 
dominions;  and  of  which  we  shall  say  more  here 
after. 

During  several  years,  we  find  little  said  of  Mr. 
Williams,  and  less  that  demands  a  place  in  this 
brief  sketch.  Once  more  he  was  called  upon  by 
Massachusetts,  to  mediate  with  the  Narragansets. 


R  O  G  E  R    W  I  L  L  I  A  M  S  .  37 

I 

Miantinomo,  their  Chief,  was  desired  to  repair  to 
Boston.  This,  he  promised  to  do.  provided  Mr. 
Williams  would  accompany  him.  This,  the  au 
thorities  of  Massachusetts  would  not  allow ;  and 
the  interview  did  not  take  place.  This  circum 
stance  affords  evidence  of  the  confidence  reposed  in 
Mr.  Williams,  by  the  natives,  and  of  the  bigotry 
and  ingratitude  of  the  government  of  Massachusetts. 
Even  so  far  was  this  intolerant  spirit  carried,  that, 
on  account  of  her  fundamental  principle  of  entire 
religious  freedom,  Rhode  Island  was  excluded  from 
the  confederacy  of  the  New  England  Colonies, 
formed  in  1643,  for  mutual  protection  against  the 
savages,  and  never  after  permitted  to  join  it.  Con 
nected  with  this  affair,  is  a  glorious  fact,  which 
should  ever  occupy  the  most  prominent  place,  on 
the  most  resplendent  page,  of  New  England's  early 
history.  Though  left,  weak  and  feeble  as  she  was, 
to  her  own  resources,  without  a  military  force  of 
any  magnitude,  by  the  peaceful,  conciliatory  ?  and 
honorable  course,  pursued  by  Mr.  Williams  and  his 
associates,  Rhode  Island  maintained  peace  for  her 
self,  (while  her  sister  colonies  suffered  the  horrid 
ravages  of  Indian  warfare,)  without  an  appeal  to 
arms  ;  and  by  the  persevering  exercise  of  her  influ 
ence  with  the  savage  tribes,  did  much  to  appease 
their  wrath,  and  to  soften  the  rigors  of  war. 


38  THESPIRITOF 

In  1643,  Mr.  Williams  visited  England.  On  his 
passage,  he  threw  together  his  materials  for  "A  KEY 
TO  THE  INDIAN  LANGUAGE;"  which  was  finished 
and  printed  in  the  same  year ;  and,  during  his  stay 
in  England,  he  wrote  and  published  his  book  enti 
tled  UTHE  BLOODY  TENET  OF  PERSECUTION  OF 
THE  CAUSE  OF  CONSCIENCE,"  &c.  On  this  visit, 
also,  he  procured  the  charter  for  the  colony  of 
Rhode  Island,  bearing  date,  March  14,  1643-4; 
and  arrived  again  in  America,  September  17,  1644; 
He  landed  at  Boston,  being  emboldened  to  do  so 
by  letters  he  bore  from  sundry  leading  men  in  Eng 
land  ;  but  though  he  was  permitted  to  proceed 
quietly  to  Providence,  yet  the  sentence  of  banish 
ment  was  neither  revoked  nor  ameliorated.  He 
was  met  at  Seekonk  on  his  return,  by  citizens  of 
Providence,  and  received  by  them  with  a  respect 
and  cordiality,  characteristic  of  their  gratitude  to 
him  for  his  services,  and  their  affection  for  him  as  a 
\  man  and  a  brother. 

The  authorities  of  Massachusetts  had  obtained 
possession  of  the  person  of  Miantinomo,  the  Narra- 
ganset  chief,  and,  for  some  alleged  offence,  caused 
him  to  be  executed  at  Boston.  His  people  consid 
ered  this  as  an  act  of  murder,  and  determined  to 
avenge  it,  by  making  war  on  the  Mohegans,  who 
had  delivered  him  up,  and  on  all  the  colonies  ex- 


ROGER     WILLIAMS.  39 

cept  Providence  and  Rhode  Island.  Massachusetts 
raised  a  military  force,  to  act  in  the  emergency >  and 
despatched  messengers  to  the  Narragansets,  to 
treat  of  peace.  The  attempt  to  negotiate  proved 
unsuccessful.  Messengers  were  a  second  time  sent. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  Narraganset  sachems  had 
solicited  the  advice  of  Mr.  Williams,  and  being  also 
called  on  for  aid  by  the  Massachusetts  messengers, 
he  interposed  between  the  hostile  parties,  and 
effected  a  treaty  of  peace ;  thus  again  preventing  a 
dreadful  war. 

The  first  General  Assembly  of  the  colony  was 
held  at  Newport,  May  19,  1647  ;  and  ROGER  WIL 
LIAMS  was  elected  Assistant,  for  Providence  ;  and 
the  Assembly  established  a  "  democratical"  govern 
ment,  or  a  government  by  the  "free  and  voluntary 
consent"  of  the  people;  and  in  which,  the  utmost 
latitude  is  given  to  the  conscience  in  matters  of 
religion;  and  providing  that  "ALL  MEN  MAY  WALK 

AS  THEIR  CONSCIENCES  PERSUADE  THEM,  EVERY 
ONE  IN  THE  NAME  OF  HIS  GoD." 

For  his  faithful  services,  the  General  Assembly 
passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Williams,  who  had 
been  chiefly  instrumental  in  the  great  and  noble 
work,  and  made  him  a  grant  of  one  hundred  pounds  ; 
a  large  sum  for  the  times,  and  the  circumstances  of 
the  colony,  but  a  poor  equivalent  for  his  labors,  his 


40  THESPIR1TOF 

services,  and  his  sacrifices.  Yet  it  was  doubtless 
received  as  it  was  awarded — as  a  token  of  gratitude 
and  respect,  to  the  man  the  people  delighted  to 
honor. 

Though  peace  had  been  maintained  with  the 
Indians,  internal  strife  on  political  questions,  and 
disputes  about  boundaries  among  themselves,  and 
the  overbearing  conduct  of  their  neighbor  colonists, 
began  to  mar  the  peace  of  the  community,  and  con 
tinued  for  many  years.  But,  during  that  period  of 
trouble,  Mr.  Williams  maintained  his  characteristic 
firmness  and  integrity,  and  did  much  to  allay  the 
flame  of  discord.  His  letters,  from  which  our  nar 
row  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  make  extracts,  show 
how  deeply  he  felt  and  suffered,  from  the  existence 
of  these  evils,  how  great  an  interest  he  took  in  the 
welfare  of  the  colony,  and  what  personal  sacrifices 
he  was  willing  to  make,  to  promote  it. 

In  1651,  Mr.  Williams  visited  England  a  second 
time.  His  object  was,  to  procure  a  revocation  of 
the  commission  of  Coddington,  by  which  Rhode 
Island  had  been  separated  from  the  present  colony. 
He  was  met  with  opposition,  but  succeeded  in  his 
mission  ;  and  the  commission  of  Coddington  was 
vacated,  and  the  former  charter  confirmed.  About 
.this  time,  he  published  several  controversial  works. 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  41 

in  reply  to  various  attacks  made  upon  him,  but  to 
which  we  have  not  room  to  refer,  even  by  name. 

After  Mr.  Williams's  return,  Massachusetts  steadi 
ly  refused  to  change  her  policy  respecting  him.  But, 
we  find  a  letter  dated  by  him,  BOSTON,  17  3  (mo.) 
'56 ;  and  we  learn  from  a  note  of  his,  to  the  General 
Court,  that  he  was  in  that  town,  by  virtue  of  an 
order  from  "  The  Lords  of  his  Highness's  Council." 

By  the  General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island,  he 
was  elected  President,  and  held  that  office  two 
years.  It  was  a  period  of  civil  discord  in  the  parent 
country,  in  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth,  under 
Oliver  Cromwell.  The  effects  were  felt  in  the 
colonies  ;  and  they  rendered  the  station  occupied 
by  Mr.  Williams,  uncomfortable  to  him.  It  was 
during  this  period,  that  he  caused  the  arrest  of 
William  Harris,  for  alleged  hostility  to  Cromwell's 
government,  and  caused  him  to  be  imprisoned,  for 
the  purpose  of  sending  him  to  England  for  trial. 
The  measure,  right  or  wrong,  was  not  sanctioned 
by  public  opinion.  This  event  occurred  February 
1,  1657-8,  and  in  May  following,  Mr.  Williams 
was  superceded  by  the  election  of  some  one  else, 
as  President.  Yet,  he  continued  to  be  elected 
Assistant,  from  Providence,  and  occupied  his  seat 
at  the  Board.  Harris,  it  would  seem,  was  a  trouble 
some  man.  In  1667,  there  was  much  disturbance 


42  THE     SPIRIT     OF 

in  Providence.  Two  sets  of  Deputies  were  elected. 
Harris  was  elected  by  one  party.  But  he  was  ex 
pelled  from  the  Assembly,  and  fined  forty  pounds. 

In  1667,  Mr.  Williams  closed  his  public  life  as  a 
legislator,  refusing  to  serve  on  account  of  his  age. 

During  his  long,  arduous  and  highly  useful  life, 
or  that  part  of  it  spent  in  Ameiica,  this  worthy  man 
was  freqently  called  out  to  defend  himself  against 
the  hostile  attacks  of  his  enemies  and  opponents, 
and  in  defence  of  the  colony  of  which,  under  God, 
he  was  the  parent,  against  the  violence  and  machi 
nations  of  those  who  sought  either  to  destroy  it,  or 
to  subject  it  to  arbitrary  rule.  In  some  of  his  writ 
ings  he  was  bitter,  and  especially  in  his  controversy 
with  the  Quakers.  But  this  fault  ought  not  to  be 
ascribed  to  any  .deficiency  in  the  goodness  of  his 
heart,  when  we  recollect  how  much  he  did,  and  how 
much  he  suffered,  to  promote  the  welfare,  not  only 
of  his  friends,  but  of  his  bitterest  enemies  ;  while,  at 
the  same  time,  he  accorded  to  all  others,  the  same 
privilege  he  claimed  himself,  to  believe  as  their 
consciences  might  dictate,  and  to  defend  their  own 
opinions  in  their  own  way.  His  temperament  was 
ardent,  and  his  feelings  may  have  been  somewhat 
soured  by  the  bitter  persecution  he  had  suffered  ; 
and  these  circumstances  may  have,  in  a  measure, 
imparted  their  tone  to  his  controversial  writings.  But 


ROGERWILLIAMS.  43 

no  one  who  scans  his  conduct,  and  scrutinises  his 
character,  can  rightfully  accuse  him  of  a  want  of 
philanthropy,  ol  social  or  public  virtue,  or  genuine 
benevolence. 

If  we  may  judge  from  what  appears  in  the  history 
of  the  man,  his  character  had  no  tincture  of  avarice, 
and  no  more  of  selfishness  than  is  necessary  to  self- 
preservation,  and  the  purest  principles  of  Christian 
morality.  His  life  was  spent  for  the  good  of  man 
kind  ;  and  without  grasping  the  means  put  into  his 
hands,  as  the  source  of  his  own  exclusive  emolu 
ment,  he  generously  declined  to  avail  himself  of  the 
opportunity  ;  and  with  a  degree  of  liberality  seldom 
known  among  men,  voluntarily  shared  those  means 
with  others.  Yet,  with  all  this  nobility  of  charac 
ter  and  conduct,  he  wasi  not  boastful.  His  letters 
speak  the  language  of  modest  humility  ;  and  while, 
with  an  honest  and  virtuous  pride,  he  seems  meas 
urably  sensible  of  the  great  benefit  she  has  conferred, 
he  ascribes  all  to  the  God  of  his  soul's  adoration,  in 
whose  bounty  and  goodness  he  rejoices,  and  ac 
knowledges  himself  an  humble  instrument  in  his 
hands,  and  a  dependent  on  his  great  mercy. 

Thus  lived  ROGERWILLIAMS — the  first  of  cham 
pions  in  the  cause  of  civil  and  religious  freedom, 
and  the  noble  founder  of  the  first  FREE  GOVERNMENT 
in  Christendom.  Posterity  should  cherish  his  mern- 


44    THE    SPIRIT    OF    ROGER   WILLIAMS. 

ory  with  gratitude,  and  do  honor  to  his  virtues  by 
copying  his  bright  example. 

He  continued  his  public  ministry  to  an  advanced 
age,  and  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  in  peace.  He 
die  1  in  the  year  1683,  aged  EIGHTY-FOUR  YEARS. 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord  ;  for 
they  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  fol 
low  them." 


HISTORY 


OF     THE 


ROGER  WILLIAMS   CHURCH. 


As  this  church,  which  was  organized  by  Roger 
Williams,  is  the  oldest  Baptist  church  in  America, 
it  may  not  be  deemed  inappropriate  to  give  some 
account  of  it  in  this  place.  "  Its  first  members 
were  twelve  in  number,  viz.  :  Roger  Williams, 
Ezekiel  Holliman,  William  Arnold,  William  Harris, 
Stukeley  Westcot,  John  Green,  Richard  Waterman, 
Thomas  James,  Robert  Cole,  William  Carpenter, 
Francis  Weston,  and  Thomas  Olney." 

Mr.  Benedict,  in  his  History  of  the  Baptists,  says, 
"  Mr.  Williams  and  those  with  him  considered  the 
importance  of  gospel  union,  and  were  desirous  of 
forming  themselves  into  a  church,  but  met  with  a 
considerable  obstruction  ;  they  were  convinced  of 


46  THESPIRITOF 

the  nature  and  design  of  believers'  baptism  by  im 
mersion  ;  but,  from  a  variety  of  circumstances,  had 
hitherto  been  prevented  from  submission.  To  ob 
tain  a  suitable  administrator  was  a  matter  of  conse 
quence.  At  length  the  candidates  for  communion 
nominated  Mr.  Ezekiel  Holliman,  a  man  of  gifts 
and  piety,  to  baptise  Mr.  Williams ;  and  who,  in  re 
turn,  baptised  Mr.  Holliman  and  the  other  ten. 
This  church  was  soon  joined  by  twelve  other  per 
sons,  who  came  to  this  new  settlement,  and  abode 
in  harmony  and  peace." 

Thus  Mr.  Williams,  after  having  passed  through 
the  vicissitudes  of  first  leaving  England  with  the 
persecuted  dissenters;  then  leaving  Salem,  where 
he  was  first  settled,  for  Plymouth — where,  as  a 
preacher,  he  \vas  eloquent  and  popular  ;  then  leav 
ing  Plymouth  for  Salem,  again,  to  take  charge  of 
the  church  which  first  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  his 
instruction,  from  whence  he  was  banished  for  "  pub 
licly  avowing  that  Christ  alone  is  King  in  his  own 
kingdom,  and  that  no  others  had  authority  over 
his  subjects,  in  the  affairs  of  conscience  and  eternal 
salvation"  And  now,  again,  he  is  pastor  of  the 
little  flock  whose  members,  with  himself,  asserted 
the  right  of  private  judgment,  in  practice  as  well  as 
principle,  and  who  followed  their  o\vn  convictions 


ROGER     WILLIAMS.  47 

of  duty,  untrammeled  by  human  dictation,  either  civil 
or  ecclesiastical. 

Mr.  Holliman  was  subsequently  chosen  assistant 
to  Mr.  Williams.  The  precise  length  of  time  which 
Mr.  Williams  continued  in  his  pastoral  office  is  not 
known.  Some  accounts  state  three,  or  four  years — 
and  others,  but  about  four  months.  One  fact  is 
certain,  however;  that  he  continued  to  preach  the 
doctrine  of  redemption,  through  Jesus  Christ,  until 
his  death.  Many  years  after  the  organization  of 
this  church,  when  the  affairs  of  the  colony  did  not 
absorb  his  time,  he  was  preaching  to  the  natives, 
in  their  o\vn  tongue,  whose  language  he  had  learned 
to  speak.  It  may  emphatically  be  said  of  him,  as 
of  our  Saviour,  "  He  went  about,  doing  good." 

There  were  ten  other  ministers,  who  succeeded  each 
other,  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  this  church,  down 
to  the  time  when  the  Rev.  Dr.  Manning,  founder 
of  the  Rhode  Island  College,  now  called  Brown 
University,  became  its  pastor.  Elder  Samuel  Wind 
sor  was  the  predecessor  of  Elder  Manning,  to  whom 
he  (Manning)  was  first  employed  as  assistant. 

Immediately  after  Mr.  Manning  was  invited 
to  become  the  assistant  of  Elder  Windsor,  it  was 
found  that  they  did  not  precisely  agree  in  their 
sentiments.  Elder  Windsor  copied,  with  great  pre 
cision,  after  the  venerable  founder  of  the  church, 


48  THE     SPIRIT     OF 

ROGER  WILLIAMS.  When  Mr.  Williams  became 
a  Baptist,  he  copied  closely  after  the  "  Old,"  or 
"  General  Baptist,"  of  England.  The  general 
Baptists,  of  his  times,  were  designated  from  the 
particular  Baptists,  in  two  points :  First,  they  did 
not  believe  in  particular  election,  but  in  general 
redemption  ;  hence  came  the  term,  general  Baptist. 
Their  own  words  are  as  follow  : — "  God  hath  pre 
destinated  that  all  that  believe  on  him,  shall  be 
saved ;  and  all  that  believe  not,  shall  be  damned. 
And  this  is  the  election  and  reprobation  spoken  of 
in  the  scriptures;  not  that  God  has  predestinated 
men  to  be  wicked,  or  to  be  damned,  but  that  men, 
being  wicked,  shall  be  damned."  The  second  dis 
tinction  was,  instead  of  holding  to  the  "  five  points" 
merely,  they  held  to  six:  hence  comes  the  term, 
six-principle  Baptist,  as  used  in  Rhode  Island, 
when  applied  to  the  "  Old  Baptists,"  who  are  found 
almost  exclusively  in  this  State.  The  additional 
principle  consists  in  the  form  of  "laying  on  of 
hands,"  which  this  sect,  both  in  England  and 
America,  believe  to  be  an  ordinance, — and  attach 
the  same  importance  to  it  that  they  do  to  baptism, 
or  communion. 

Roger  Williams  constituted  his  church  on  these 
six  principles*  and  each  succeeding  minister  fol- 

*  These  principles  are  found  in  Hebrews,  vi.  1,  2. 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  49 

lowed  faithfully  in  his  steps,  down  to  Elder  Man 
ning's  day.  He  believed  in  "  transient  communion" 
or  in  admitting  those  to  the  communion,  on  whom 
hands  had  not  been  laid,  if  they  had  been  baptised. 
It  was  also  said  that  Elder  Manning  believed  in 
"  special  grace,"  or  particular  election. 

Elder  Manning's  piety,  and  "his  forcible  and 
charming  eloquence,"  carried  a  majority  of  the 
church  with  him.  Elder  Windsor,  being  a  man  of 
stern  integrity,  was  grieved  with  this  innovation. 
A  church  meeting  was  accordingly  called,  and  the 
subject  discussed  ;  but  when  the  vote  was  taken,  it 
was  found  that  a  majority  were  for  Elder  Manning, 
and  consequently  for  "  transient  communion."  It 
was  then  left  to  the  next  association.  The  associa 
tion,  however,  declined  an  interference,  and  referred 
the  case  back  to  the  church — but  there  the  case 
had  been  already  settled.  Viewing  the  church  as 
having  deviated  from  the  true  ground,  and  from  the 
"  old  paths,"  Elder  Windsor,  with  his  party,  sent  in, 
his  resignation,  in  these  words : — 

"  Dear  Brethren  and  Sisters, — We  must,  in  con 
science,  withdraw  ourselves  from  all  those  who  do 
not  hold  strictly  to  the  six  principles  of  the  doctrine 
of  Christ,  as  laid  down  in  Hebrews,  vi.  1,  2." 

A  final  separation  now  ensued.     Elder  Windsor 
found  a  respectable  minority  with  him,  in  his  effort 
4 


50  THESPIRITOF 

to  maintain  the  orthodox  side  of  the  question ;  so 
that  when  the  reorganization  took  place,  including 
"  the  Elder,  and  Deacon  John  Dyer,  there  were 
eighty-seven  members."  Dr.  Manning  was  now 
constituted  sole  pastor  of  the  dissenting  party.  He 
was  a  man  of  high  moral  standing,  and  strong  intel 
lectual  powers ;  and  being,  withal,  President  of 
Rhode  Island  College,  his  superior  attitude  left  the 
old  senior  pastor  quite  in  the  shade.  Thus  situated, 
Mr.  Windsor  thought  it  prudent,  especially  as  it 
would  accommodate  many  of  the  members,  to  erect 
their  new  house  of  worship  in  the  adjoining  town  of 
Johnston.  Report  says,  that  the  property  of  the 
old  meeting  house,  in  which  Elder  Windsor  wor 
shipped,  was  sold,  and  the  proceeds  amicably 
divided  between  the  two  parties.  Dr.  Manning's 
church  built  that  magnificent  pile,  now  the  pride  of 
Providence  city,  called  the  First  Baptist  Church. 
'Elder  Windsor's  humble  edifice  was  erected  in  1774, 
where  it  now  stands,  in  ruins,  about  two  miles  west 
of  Providence.  Here  the  orthodox  church  wor 
shipped  God,  "unitedly  established  in  the  six  princi 
ples  of  Christ's  doctrine,  upon  which  it  was  found^ 
ed  by  the  Rev.  Roger  Williams."  Mr.  Windsor 
lived,  after  the  new  organization,  to  see  "a  glorious 
reformation  take  place,  under  his  labors,  in  which 
there  were  about  fifty  members  added  in  one  year." 


ROGER   WILLIAMS.  51 

Elder  Windsor  died  in  the  year  1802,  in  the  fiftieth 
year  of  his  ministry,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his 
age,  universally  respected. 

From  the  time  that  Elder  Windsor  died,  it  would 
seem  that  this  church  began  rapidly  to  decline.  In 
1830,  the  house  being  in  a  dilapidated  state,  and 
the  members  few  and  feeble,  Elder  William  C. 
Manchester,  their  pastor,  proposed  to  leave  it ;  and, 
as  there  were  some  scattering  members  in  Provi 
dence  city,  who  were  on  the  true  ground  of  the 
six  principles,  he  took  with  him  such  ones  as  this 
arrangement  would  accommodate,  and  opened  wor 
ship  in  a  school-house  belonging  to  Sheldin  Batty, 
Esq.,  in  the  city — whence  arose  the  Roger  Wil 
liams  Church  in  the  west  part  of  Providence.  Now 
for  the  name  !  The  precedence  of  creed  or  princi 
ples  jus\]y  entitled  them  to  the  distinction  of  "First " 
Baptist  Church  in  Providence.  But  they  were  now 
located  within  sight  of  one  tall  spire  which  is  already 
thus  designated.  The  pride  of  ancestry  forbade 
their  being  called  the  Fifth  Baptist  Church.  They 
therefore  concluded,  that,  as  they  had  carefully  ad 
hered  to  the  principles  of  their  venerable  founder, 
and  as  an  unbroken  succession*  could  be  traced  back 

*Itis  not  unworthy  of  notice,  that  Benajah  Williams,  jr. 
the  only  Deacon  of  this  church,  is  a  descendant  of  Roger  Wil 
liams.  In  his  account  of  himself  to  the  writer,  he  says ; 


52  THESPIRITOF 

to  the  organization  by  Roger  Williams,  the  most 
appropriate  name  would  be  the  ROGER  WILLIAMS 
BAPTIST  CHURCH.  The  pulpit  stands  between  two 
pillars  of  prodigious  size,  for  the  interior  of  a  church. 
If  they  were  embossed  with  Corinthian  capitals, 
and  stone  color,  they  would  convey  impressions  of 
high  antiquity.  On  the  face  of  the  pulpit  is  placed 
an  Italian  marble  slab,  on  which  is  engraved  these 
words  :  "  Erected  in  memory  of  Roger  Williams." 
Some  persons  have  affected  to  laugh  at  so  humble 
an  effort  to  place  before  the  eye  of  our  rising  race, 
a  clue  to  the  name,  of  which  all  Rhode  Island 
might  well  be  proud.  But  unintelligible,  and 
unworthy  of  the  man  as  this  inscription  may 
seem  to  be,  we  think  it  unappropriate  for  the  citi 
zens  of  Providence  at  least,  to  indulge  in  one 

"  My  great-grandfather,  Nathaniel  Williams,  was  the  great, 
grandson  of  Roger  Williams,  which  places  me  in  the  sixth 
generation  from  our  venerable  ancestor."  To  avoid  all  mis 
take  we  went  to  the  old  burying  ground  of  the  Williams  fam 
ily,  laying  some  three  or  four  miles  from  Providence,  in  the 
town  of  Cranston,  where  we  found  the  head  stone,  1st.  of 
Joseph  Williams,  Esq.,  son  of  Roger  Williams  ;  2d,  of  James 
Williams,  son  of  Joseph  Williams;  3d,  Nathaniel  Williams, 
son  of  James  Williams;  and  4th,  of  Fredrick  Williams,  son 
of  Nathaniel  Williams;  5th,  Benajah  Williams,  who  is  now 
living,  is  the  son  of  Fredrick  Williams,  deceased,  and  Benajah 
Williams  jr.,  Deacon  of  the  Roger  Williams  Church,  whose 
portrait  is  found  in  this  little  book,  is  the  son  of  Benajah 
Williams,  the  senior. 


ROGER   WILLIAMS.  53 

smile  of  contempt,  until  it  be  surpassed  by  some 
nobler  effort.  For  be  it  known,  that  while  there 
are  men  in  Providence,  the  interest  of  whose  for 
tunes  for  one  day  only,  would  be  a  sufficient  sum 
to  erect  a  monument,  on  which,  the  inscription 
might  tell  to  every  passing  traveller, 

"  The  sufferings  great 
Which  father  Williams  in  his  exile  bore'  " 

yet  no  such  monument  is  found.  But  now,  unless 
the  stranger,  standing  in  Market  Square,  should 
chance  to  look  up,  and  read  "  ROGER  WILLIAMS 
BANK,"  he  will  find  nothing  in  Providence  to  remind 
him  that  it  is  the  city,  as  well  as  the  land  of  Roger 
Williams,  except  in  a  walk  to  the  margin  of  the 
city,  he  should  find  his  way  into  the  Roger  Williams 
church  and  take  his  seat  in  front  of  the  pulpit. 

In  the  spring  of  1837,  Elder  Manchester  resigned 
his  pastoral  charge.  The  church  was  now  again 
without  regular  meetings.  In  the  mean  time,  for  hav 
ing  adopted  instrumental  music,  in  conformity  with 
other  churches  of  the  city,  the  CONFERENCE  of  six 
principle  Baptist  churches,  had  disfranchised  it,  as  a 
sister  church  ;  for  they  believed,  with  the  Mahomet 
ans,  that  it  is  a  sin  against  God  to  praise  his  name 
with  any  instrument  except  the  human  voice.  Being 
thus  alone,  they  feared,  as  well  they  might,  in  this 
sectarian  age,  that  there  would  be  little  sympathy 


54  THESPIRITOF 

for  them  among  neighboring  ministers  and  churches, 
until  they  were  again  recognised  as  a  sister  church, 
by  some  sect.  They,  therefore,  applied  to  the 
Rhode  Island  quarterly  meeting  of  Free  will  Baptist 
churches,  for  admission  into  their  fellowship,  with 
the  proviso,  that  they  should  not  be  required  to 
make  any  change  in  their  faith  or  usages.  On 
examination,  it  was  found  that  there  was  no  need  of 
a  change  of  faith,  for  in  theology  they  believed 
alike.  Then,  as  to  usage,  the  quarterly  meeting 
responded :  "  We  do  not  differ,  only  in  the  one 
point  of  laying  on  of  hands,  and  this  is  most  cer 
tainly  an  innocent  practice.  Why,  then,  refuse 
them  ?  Let  this  church  peaceably  enjoy  it " — 
and  they  were  admitted  as  a  sister  church.  At  this 
time  the  male  resident  members  were  few,  and,  in 
a  comparison  with  the  debts  standing  against  the 
church,  they  were  feeble ;  for  they  owed  between 
twelve  and  thirteen  hundred  dollars  for  their  house — 
all  of  which  must  be  paid  within  one  brief  year. 

This  was  the  state  of  this  church,  when  the 
writer  of  these  sheets  left  a  more  lucrative  agency, 
and  engaged  his  humble  services  to  them.  To 
support  a  family  and  pay  these  debts,  required  that 
there  should  be  raised  about  eighteen  hundred  dol 
lars.  A  train  of  means*  were  commenced,  which  has 

*  See  Note  E. 


ROGER    WILLIAMS.  55 

nearly  accomplished  the  desired  result.  The  year 
for  which  his  services  were  engaged  has  expired, 
when  we  again  resume  our  former  labors  in  the 
cause  of  temperance.  Important  additions  have 
been  made  to  the  church,  through  the  past  year, 
and  under  the  labors  of  a  more  ab-!e  minister  than 
himself,  which  the  writer  has  had  the  great  satisfac 
tion  of  seeing  settled,  we  think  there  cannot  fail  to 
be  continued  prosperity  to  the  Roger  Williams 
Baptist  Church. 


APPENDIX. 


NOTE  A. 

THE  ROGER  WILLIAMS'  SPRING. 

Tradition  has  uniformly  stated  the  place  where 
Roger  Williams,  and  the  five  others  who  came  with 
him  in  a  canoe  from  Seekonk,  landed,  to  be  at  a 
spring  south  west  of  the  Episcopal  (St.  John's)  Church. 

On  the  4th  of  July  of  this  year,  (1838)  the  friends 
of  temperance  in  Providence,  held  a  temperance  cel 
ebration.  They  had  a  rich  treat  in  an  address  from 
L.  M.  Sargent,  Esq.,  author  of  the  Temperance 
Tales  ;  afterwards  they  dined  together,  being  favored 
with  the  presence  of  Rev.  Mr.  Pierpont  and  other 
gentlemen  from  Boston,  besides  a  large  number  of 
both  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Providence  city  and  the 
adjacent  towns.  At  the  table  a  number  of  very  ex 
cellent  sentiments  were  offered  touching  the  great 


APPENDIX.  57 

cause  and  its  promoters,  among  which  were  the  two 
following  : 

"  The  fourth  of  July  of  1838— the  first  celebration 
of  this  day  on  which  the  ladies  could  attend  with  pro 
priety."  This  sentiment  was  offered  with  reference 
to  the  fact  that  there  was  no  drink  used  on  the  occa 
sion  stronger  than  cold  water  brought  from  the  Roger 
Williams'  spring. 

The  other  sentiment  was  offered  by  John  Howland, 
Esq.,  the  venerable  antiquarian  : 

"  Roger  Williams — The  first  friend  of  temperance 
in  Rhode  Island.  By  his  will  he  bequeathed  us  a 
spring  of  cold  water." 

Among  the  originals  prepared  and  sung  on  the 
occasion,  was  the  following  beautiful  hymn. 

ROGER  WILLIAMS'  SPRING. 
Some  sing  the  praise  of  rosy  wine, 

Its  sparkling  color  bright ; 
But  in  such  songs  with  them  to  join 

We  cannot  take  delight. 
We  have  a  rich  and  noble  theme, 

Fit  for  a  prince  and  king — 
'Tis  water,  pure,  and  fresh,  and  good, 

From  Roger  Williams'  spring. 

This  will  give  health,  and  joy,  and  peace, 

Refreshing  every  power; 
We  want  no  better  drink  than  this 

In  trial's  darkest  hour. 
To  cheer  the  heart  and  quench  the  thirst 

It  is  the  very  thing; 


58  APPENDIX. 

Then  give  us  water,  pure  and  good, 
From  Roger  Williams'  spring. 

Our  sires  drank  from  this  living  spring 

Two  hundred  years  ago  ; 
And  from  this  fountain,  water  clear 

Continues  stiil  to  flow. 
Then  we,  on  this  our  ft-stal  day, 

Will  of  its  virtues  sing, 
And  drink  this  water,  pure  and  good, 

From  Roger  Williams   spring. 

This  was  a  glorious  day  to  the  cause  of  temper 
ance.  The  Rhode  Island  State  Temperance  Society 
has  not  been  behind  in  its  labors  to  promote  this  great 
reform — nor  is  their  work,  or  their  disposition  to  work, 
yet  through.  We  had  not  the  pleasure  of  being  pre 
sent  at  the  last  annual  meeting  ;  but  from  our  knowl 
edge  of  the  cause  as  it  exists  in  Rhode  Island,  our 
opinion  is,  that,  even  though  there  are  some  of  our 
clergy  who  suffer  their  silence  on  the  subject  to  be 
construed  into  a  fear  of  offending  their  spirit-selling 
supporters,  yet  there  has  never  been  a  period  when  so 
much  talent,  and  moral  power,  could  be  brought  into 
the  field,  as  the  friends  of  temperance  can  at  present 
command.  Because  the  Rhode  Island  General  Assem 
bly  have  seen  fit  so  far  to  disgrace  themselves  in  the 
eyes  of  all  wise  and  good  men,  as,  at  their  June  session, 
to  pass  a  law  prohibiting  the  retailing  of  intoxicating 
drink  in  a  less  quantity  than  ten  gallons;  and  in  their 
Oct.  session  of  the  same  year,  before  there  was  a  chance 
for  the  new  law  to  go  into  effect,  to  repeal  it — thereby 


APPENDIX. 


59 


condemning  the  experiment  before  it  was  tried  ; — be 
cause  of  this,  some  have  raised  the  hue  and  cry  of 
"  reaction."  "  The  cause,"  say  they,  "  is  injured  by 
its  friends,  by  carrying  things  too  far."  "  The  cause 
is  carried  back  ten  years,"  &c.,  &<c. — but  all  this  is  a 
mistake  !— The  cause  is  advancing.  If  it  be  thought, 
because  politicians  do  not  act  right  on  temperance, 
that  those  who  always  have,  and  do  still  believe  it  to 
be  a  great  moral  question,  are  becoming  discouraged, 
they  will,  doubtless,  find  themselves  exceedingly  mis 
taken.  There  are  those  who  have  put  their  hand  to 
the  plough,  with  the  pledge  not  to  man  only,  but  to 
God,  that  they  will  not  look  back  while  life  shall  last 
— whose  chief  reliance,  (whatever  legislatures  may 
do,  for  or  against  the  cause)  for  the  triumph  of  this 
work,  is  on  the  agency  of  TRUTH  and  the  blessing  of 
heaven. 


XOTE    B. 

The  vessel  which  brought  Mr.  Williams,  was  a 
regular  colony  ship.  Great  as  the  sufferings  were  of 
the  first  settlers  of  New  England,  perhaps  there 
was  no  time  when  their  distresses  were  greater  than 
at  the  arrival  of  the  ship  Lyon.  The  following 
account  of  it  is  taken  from  Hutchinsou's  History, 
which  it  may  not  be  unprofitable  to  read. 


60 


APPENDIX. 


The  weather  held  tolerable  till  the  24th  of  Decem 
ber,  but  the  cold  then  came  on  with  violence.  Such 
a  Christmas  eve  they  had  never  seen  before.  From 
that  time  to  the  10th  of  February  their  chief  care  was 
to  keep  themselves  warm,  and  as  comfortable  in  other 
respects  as  their  scanty  provisions  would  permit.  The 
poorer  sort  were  much  exposed,  lying  in  tents  and 
miserable  hovels,  and  many  died  of  the  scurvy  and 
other  distempers.  They  were  so  short  of  provisions 
that  many  were  obliged  to  live  on  clams,  muscles,  and 
other  shell  fish,  with  ground  nuts  and  acorns,  instead 
of  bread.  One  that  came  to  the  Governor's  house  to 
complain  of  his  sufferings,  was  prevented,  being  in 
formed  that  even  there  the  last  batch  [of  bread]  was 
in  the  oven.  They  had  appointed  the  22d  day  of 
February  for  a  fast ;  but  on  the  5th,  to  their  great 
joy,  the  ship  Lyon,  Capt.  Pierce,  returned  laden  with 
provisions,  from  England,  which  were  distributed  ac 
cording  to  the  necessities  of  the  people.  They  turned 
their  fast  into  a  "  thanksgiving"  This  was  the  be 
ginning  of  our  New  England  thanksgiving-days. 


NOTE    C. 

The  following  very  interesting  letter  was  first  pub 
lished  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Massachusetts  His 
torical  Collections : 


APPENDIX.  61 

"  Providence,  June  22,  1670,  (ut  vulgo.) 
"  Major  Mason,* 

"My  honored,  dear  and  ancient  friend,  my  due 
respects  and  earnest  desires  to  God,  for  your  eternal 
peace,  &/c. 

"  I  crave  your  leave  and  patience  to  present  you 
with  some  few  considerations,  occasioned  by  the  late 
transactions  between  your  colony  and  ours.  The  last 

*  "  Major  Mason — famous  for  his  services,  while  captain,  in 
the  Pequod  war.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Low  Countries, 
under  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Dor 
chester,  Mass,  in  1G30.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Windsor, 
Conn.  He  put  an  end  to  the  Pequod  war,  in  1G38;  was  ap 
pointed,  soon  after,  Major  General  of  the  Connecticut  forces, 
and  in  May,  1GGO,  was  elected  Deputy  Governor  of  that 
colony.  He  died  at  Norwich,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of 
his  age,  in  1G72  or  1G73.  An  account  of  the  Pequod  war  was 
published  by  him,  republished  in  Hubbard's  Narrative,  and 
by  Rev.  T.  Prince.  In  the  fourth  volume  of  the  Massachu 
setts  historical  Collections,  a  curious  poem  is  published,  of 
Governor  Wolcott's,  giving  an  account  of  his  predecessor 
Winthrop's  embassy  to  the  Court  of  Charles  II,  to  obtain  a 
charter,  in  which  Mason  is  mentioned  with  the  highest  eulo 
gies.  Winthrop  is  made  to  give  the  King  a  relation,  among 
other  things,  of  the  Pequod  war,  and  says  : 

'  The  army  now  drawn  up  :  to  bo  their  head 
t       Our  valiant  Mason  was  commissioned  ; 
(Whose  name  is  never  mentioned  by  me, 
Without  a  special  note  of  dignity.') 

"  In  granting  the  charter,  Charles  speaks  thus  : 

'  Chief  in  the  patent,  Winthrop,  thou  shalt  stand, 
And  valiant  Mason  place  at  thy  next  hand.'  " 


62  APPENDIX. 

year  you  were  pleased,  in  one  of  your  lines  to  me,  to 
tell  me  that  you  longed  to  see  my  face  once  more  be 
fore  you  died.  I  embraced  your  love,  though  I  feared 
my  old  lame  bones,  and  yours,  had  arrested  travelling 
in  this  world,  and  therefore  I  was  and  am  ready  to 
lay  hold  on  all  occasions  of  writing,  as  I  do  at  present. 

"The  occasion,  I  confess,  is  sorrowful,  because  I 
see  yourselves,  with  others,  embarked  in  a  resolution 
to  invade  arid  despoil  your  poor  countrymen,  in  a 
wilderness,  and  your  ancient  friends,  of  our  temporal 
and  soul  liberties. 

"  It  is  sorrowful,  also,  because  mine  eye  beholds  a 
black  and  doleful  train  of  grievous,  and,  I  fear,  bloody 
consequences,  at  the  heel  of  this  business,  both  to  you 
and  us.  The  Lord  is  righteous  in  all  our  afflictions, 
that  is  a  maxim  ;  the  Lord  is  gracious  to  all  oppressed, 
that  is  another ;  he  is  most  gracious  to  the  soul  that 
cries  and  waits  on  him  :  that  is  silver,  tried  in  the  fire 
seven  times. 

"  Sir,  I  am  not  out  of  hopes,  but  that  while  your 
aged  eyes  and  mine  are  yet  in  their  orbs,  and  not  yet 
sunk  down  into  their  holes  of  rottenness,  we  shall 
leave  our  friends  and  countrymen,  our  children  and 
relations,  and  this  land,  in  peace,  behind  us.  To  this 
end,  Sir,  please  you  with  a  cairn  and  steady  and  a 
Christian  hand,  to  hold  the  balance  and  to  weigh 
these  few  considerations,  in  much  love  and  due  re 
spect  presented : 

*'  First.    When  I  was  unkindly  and  unchristianly, 


APPENDIX.  63 

as  I  believe,  driven  from  my  house  and  land  and  wife 
and  children,  (in  the  midst  of  a  New  England  winter, 
now  about  thirty-five  years  past,)  at  Salem,  that  ever- 
honored  Governor,  Mr.  Winthrop,  privately  wrote  to 
me  to  steer  my  course  to  the  Narraganset  Bay  and 
Indians,  for  many  high  and  heavenly  and  public  ends, 
encouraging  me,  from  the  freeness  of  the  place  from 
any  English  claims  or  patents.  I  took  his  prudent 
motion  as  a  hint  and  voice  from  God,  and  waving  all 
other  thoughts  and  motions,  I  steered  my  course  from 
Salem  (though  in  winter  snow,  which  I  feel  yet)  unto 
these  parts,  wherein  I  may  say  Peuiel,  that  is,  I  have 
seen  the  face  of  God. 

"Second.  I  first  pitched,  and  begun  to  build  and 
plant  at  Seekorik,  now  Rehoboth,  but  I  received  a 
letter  from  my  ancient  friend,  Mr.  Winslow,  then 
Governor  of  Plymouth,  professing  his  own  and  others' 
love  and  respect  to  me,  yet  lovingly  advising  me,  since 
I  was  fallen  into  the  edge  of  their  bounds,  and  they 
were  loth  to  displease  the  Bay,  to  remove  but  to  the 
other  side  of  the  water,  and'  then,  he  said,  I  had  the 
country  free  before  me,  and  might  be  as  free  as  them 
selves,  and  we  should  be  loving  neighbors  together. 
These  were  the  joint  understandings  of  these  two 
eminently  wise  and  Christian  Governors  and  others, 
in  their  day,  together  with  their  counsel  and  advice 
as  to  the  freedom  and  vacancy  of  this  place,  which  in 
this  respect,  and  many  other  Providences  of  the  Most 
Holy  and  Only  Wise,  I  called  Providence. 


64  APPENDIX. 

"  Third.  Sometime  after,  the  Plymouth  great  sa 
chem,  (Ousamaquin*)  upon  occasion,  affirming  that 
Providence  was  his  land,  and  therefore  Plymouth's 
land,  and  some  resenting  it,  the  then  prudent  and 
godly  Governor,  Mr.  Bradford,  and  others  of  his  godly 
council,  answered,  that  if,  after  due  examination,  it 
should  be  found  true  what  the  barbarian  said,  yet 
having,  to  my  loss  of  a  harvest  that  year,  been  now 
(though  by  their  gentle  advice)  as  good  as  banished 
from  Plymouth  as  from  the  Massachusetts,  and  I  had 
quietly  and  patiently  departed  from  them,  at  their 
motion,  to  the  place  where  now  I  was,  I  should  not 
be  molested  and  tossed  up  and  down  again,  while  they 
had  breath  in  their  bodies;  and  surely,  between  those, 
my  friends  of  the  Bay  and  Plymouth,  I  was  sorely 
tossed,  for  one  fourteen  weeks,  in  a  bitter  winter  sea 
son,  not  knowing  what  bread  or  bed  did  mean,  beside 
the  yearly  loss  of  no  small  matter  in  my  trading  with 
English  and  natives,  being  debarred  from  Boston,  the 
chief  mart  and  port  of  New  England.  God  knows 
that  many  thousand  pounds  cannot  repay  the  very 
temporary  losses  I  have  sustained.  It  lies  upon  the 
Massachusetts  and  me,  yea,  and  other  colonies  joining 
with  them,  to  examine,  with  fear  and  trembling,  be 
fore  the  eyes  of  flaming  fire,  the  true  cause  of  all 
my  sorrows  and  sufferings.  It  pleased  the  Father  oi 
spirits  to  touch  many  hearts,  dear  to  him,  with  some 

*  Commonly  called  Massassoit. 


APPENDIX.  65 

relentings ;  amongst  which,  that  great  and  pious  soul, 
Mr.  Winslow,  melted,  and  kindly  visited  me,  at  Provi 
dence,  and  put  a  piece  of  gold  into  the  hands  of  my 
wife,  for  our  supply. 

"Fourth.  When,  the  next  year  after  my  banish 
ment,  the  Lord  drew  the  bow  of  the  Pequod  war 
against  the  country,  in  which,  Sir,  the  Lord  made 
yourself,  with  others,  a  blessed  instrument  of  peace  to 
all  New  England,  I  had  my  share  of  service  to  the 
whole  land  in  that  Pequod  business,  inferior  to  very 
few  that  acted,  for, 

"  1.  UfKm  letters  received  from  the  Governor  and 
Council  at  Boston,  requesting  me  to  use  my  utmost 
and  speediest  endeavors  to  break  and  hinder  the 
league  labored  for  by  the  Pequods  against  the  Mohe- 
gans,  and  Pequods  against  the  English,  (excusing  the 
not  sending  of  company  and  supplies,  by  the  haste  of 
the  business,)  the  Lord  helped  me  immediately  to  put 
my  life  into  my  hand,  and,  scarce  acquainting  my 
wife,  to  ship  myself,  all  alone,  in  a  poor  canoe,  and  to 
cut  through  a  stormy  wind,  with  great  seas,  every 
minute  in  hazard  of  life,  to  the  sachem's  house. 

"  2.  Three  days  and  nights  my  business  forced  me 
to  lodge  and  mix  with  the  bloody  Pequod  ambassa 
dors,  whose  hands  and  arms,  methought,  wreaked 
with  the  blood  of  my  countrymen,  murdered  and 
massacred  by  them  on  Connecticut  river,  and  from 
whom  I  could  not  but  nightly  look  for  their  bloody 
knives  at  my  own  throat  also. 
5 


66  APPENDIX. 

"3.  When  God  wondrously  preserved  me,  and  helped 
me  to  break  to  pieces  the  Pequod's  negotiation  and 
design,  and  to  make,  and  promote  and  finish,  by 
many  travels  and  charges,  the  English  league  with 
the  Narragansets  and  Mohegans  against  the  Pequods, 
and  that  the  English  forces  marched  up  to  the  Narra- 
ganset  country  against  the  Pequods,  I  gladly  enter 
tained,  at  my  house  in  Providence,  the  General 
Stoughton  and  his  officers,  and  used  my  utmost  care 
that  all  his  officers  and  soldiers  should  be  well  accom 
modated  with  us. 

"4.  I  marched  up  with  them  to  the  Niarraganset 
sachems,  and  brought  my  countrymen  and  the  barba 
rians,  sacherns  and  captains,  to  a  mutual  confidence 
and  complacence,  each  in  other. 

"5.  Though  I  was  ready  to  have  marched  further, 
yet,  upon  agreement  that  I  should  keep  at  Providence, 
as  an  agent  between  the  Bay  and  the  army,  I  relumed, 
and  was  interpreter  and  intelligencer,  constantly  re 
ceiving  and  sending  letters  to  the  Governor  and  Coun 
cil  at  Boston,  &>c.,  in  which  work  I  judge  it  no  im 
pertinent  digression  to  recite  (out  of  the  many  scores 
of  letters,  at  times,  from  Mr.  Winthrop,)  this  one  pious 
and  heavenly  prophecy,  touching  all  New  England, 
of  that  gallant  man,  viz. :  '  If  the  Lord  turn  away 
his  face  from  our  sins,  and  bless  our  endeavors  and 
yours,  at  this  time,  against  our  bloody  enemy,  we  and 
our  children  shall  long  enjoy  peace,  in  this,  our  wil 
derness  condition.'  And  himself  and  some  other  of 


APPENDIX.  67 

the  Council  motioned,  and  it  was  debated,  whether 
or  no  I  hud  not  merited,  not  only  to  be  recalled  from 
banishment,  but  also  to  be  honored  with  some  remark 
of  favor.  It  is  known  who  hindered,  who  never  pro 
moted  the  liberty  of  other  men's  consciences.  These 
things,  and  ten  times  more,  I  could  relate,  to  show 
that  I  am  not  a  stranger  to  the  Pequod  wars  and  lands, 
and  possibly  not  far  from  the  merit  of  a  foot  of  land  in 
either  country,  which  I  have  not. 

"5.  Considering  (upon  frequent  exceptions  against 
Providence  men)  that  we  had  no  authority  for  civil 
government,  I  went  purposely  to  England,  and  upon 
my  report  and  petition,  the  Parliament  granted  us  a 
charter  of  government  for  these  parts,  so  judged  vacant 
on  all  hands.  And  upon  this,  the  country  about  us 
was  more  friendly,  and  wrote  to  us,  and  treated  us  as 
an  authorized  colony  ;  only  the  difference  of  our  con 
sciences  much  obstructed.  The  bounds  of  this,  our 
first  charter,  I  (having  ocular  knowledge  of  persons, 
places  and  transactions)  did  honestly  and  conscien 
tiously,  as  in  the  holy  presence  of  God,  draw  up  from 
Pawcatuck  river,  which  I  then  believed,  and  still  do, 
is  free  from  all  English  claims  and  conquests  ;  for 
although  there  were  some  Pequods  on  this  side  the 
river,  who,  by  reason  of  some  sachems'  marriages 
with  some  on  this  side,  lived  in  a  kind  of  neutrality 
with  both  sides,  yet,  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
they  relinquished  their  land  to  the  possession  of  their 
enemies,  the  Narragansetts  and  Nianticks,  and  their 


68  APPENIXIX. 

land  never  came  into  the  condition  of  the  lands  on 
the  other  side,  which  the  English,  by  conquest,  chal 
lenged  ;  so  that  I  must  still  affirm,  as  in  God's  holy 
presence,  I  tenderly  waved  to  touch  a  foot  of  land  in 
which  I  knew  the  Pequod  wars  were  maintained  and 
were  properly  Pequod,  being  a  gallant  country ;  and 
from  Pawcatuck  river  hitherward,  being  but  a  patch 
of  ground,  full  of  troublesome  inhabitants,  I  did,  as  I 
judged,  inoffensively,  draw  our  poor  and  inconsidera 
ble  line. 

#######:# 

"  10.  Alas  !  Sir,  in  calm  midnight  thoughts,  what 
are  these  leaves  and  flowers,  and  smoke  and  shadows, 
and  dreams  of  earthly  nothings,  about  which  we  poor 
fools  and  children,  as  David  saith,  disquiet  ourselves 
in  vain  ?  Alas  !  what  is  all  the  scuffling  of  this  world 
for,  but,  come,  will  you  smoke  it  1  What  are  all  the 
contentions  and  wars  of  this  world  about,  generally, 
but  for  greater  dishes  and  bowls  of  porridge,  of  which, 
if  we  believe  God's  Spirit,  in  Scripture,  Esau  and 
Jacob  were  types  ?  Esau  will  part  with  the  heavenly 
birthright  for  his  supping,  after  his  hunting,  for  god 
belly  ;  and  Jacob  will  part  with  his  porridge  for  an 
eternal  inheritance.  O  Lord,  give  me  to  make  Ja- 
cob,s  and  Mary's  choice,  which  shall  never  be  taken 
from  me. 

"  11.  How  much  sweeter  is  the  counsel  of  the  Son 
of  God,  to  mind  first  the  matters  of  his  kingdom;  to 
take  no  care  for  .to-morrow  ;  to  pluck  out,  cut  off  and 


APPENDIX.  69 

fling  away  right  eyes,  hands  and  feet,  rather  than  to 
be  cast  whole  into  hell-fire;  to  consider  the  ravens 
and  the  lilies  whom  a  heavenly  Father  so  clothes  and 
feeds ;  arid  the  counsel  of  his  servant.  Paul,  to  roll 
our  cares,  for  this  life  also,  upon  the  most  high  Lord, 
steward  of  his  people,  the  eternal  God;  to  be  content 
with  food  and  raiment :  to  mind  not  our  own,  but 
every  man  the  things  of  another  ;  yea,  and  to  suffer 
wrong,  and  part  with  what  we  judge  is  right,  yea,  our 
lives  and  (as  poor  women  martyrs  have  said)  as  many 
as  there  be  hairs  upon  our  heads,  for  the  name  of  God 
and  the  son  of  God  his  sake.  This  is  humanity,  yea 
this  is  Christianity.  The  rest  is  but  formality  and 
picture,  courteous  idolatry  and  Jewish  and  Popish 
blasphemy  against  the  Christian  religion,  the  Father 
of  spirits  and  his  Son,  the  Lord  Jesus.  Besides,  Sir, 
the  matter  with  us  is  not  about  these  children's  toys 
of  land,  meadows,  cattle,  government,  &,c.  But  here, 
all  over  this  colony,  a  great  number  of  weak  and  dis 
tressed  souls,  scattered,  are  flying  hither  from  Old 
and  New  England,  the  Most  High  and  Only  Wise 
hath,  in  his  infinite  wisdom,  provided  this  country 
and  this  corner  as  a  shelter  for  the  poor  and  perse 
cuted,  according  to  their  several  persuasions.  And 
thus  that  heavenly  man,  Mr.  Haynes,  Governor  of 
Connecticut,  though  he  pronounced  the  sentence  of 
my  long  banishment  against  me,  at  Cambridge,  then 
Newtown,  yet  said  unto  rne,  in  his  own  house  at 
Hartford,  being  then  in  some  difference  with  the 


70  APPENDIX. 

Bay  :  "  I  think,  Mr.  Williams,  I  must  now  confess  to 
you,  that  the  most  wise  God  hath  provided  and  cut 
out  this  part  of  his  world  for  a  refuge  and  receptacle 
for  all  sorts  of  consciences.  I  am  now  under  a  cloud, 
and  my  brother  Hooker,  with  the  Bay,  as  you  have 
been,  we  have  removed  from  them  thus  far,  and  yet 
they  are  not  satisfied." 

"  Thus,  Sir,  the  King's  Majesty,  though  his  father's 
and  his  own  conscience  favored  Lord  Bishops,  which 
their  father  and  grandfather  King  James,  whom  I 
have  spoke  with,  sore  against  his  will,  also  did,  yet 
all  the  world  may  see,  by  his  Majesty's  declarations 
and  engagements  before  his  return,  and  his  declara 
tions  and  Parliament  speeches  since,  and  many  suit 
able  actings,  how  the  Father  of  spirits  hath  mightily 
impressed  and  touched  his  royal  spirit,  though  the 
Bishops  much  disturbed  him,  with  deep  inclination  of 
favor  and  gentleness  to  different  consciences  and  ap 
prehensions  as  to  the  invisible  King  and  way  of  his 
worship.  Hence  he  hath  vouchsafed  his  royal  prom 
ise  under  his  hand  and  broad  seal,  that  no  person  in 
this  colony  shall  be  molested  or  questioned  for  the 
matters  of  his  conscience  to  God,  so  he  be  loyal  and 
keep  the  civil  peace.  Sir,  we  must  part  with  lands 
and  lives  before  we  part  with  such  a  jewel.  I  judge 
you  may  yield  some  land  and  the  government  of  it  to 
us,  and  we,  for  peace  sake,  the  like  to  you,  as  being 
but  subjects  to  one  king,  &,c.  and  I  think  the  King's 
Majesty  would  thank  us,  for  many  reasons.  But  to 


A  P  P  ENDIX.  71 

part  with  this  jewel,  we  may  as  soon  do  it  as  the  Jews 
with  the  favor  of  Cyrus,  Darius  and  Artaxerxes. 
Yourselves  pretend  liberty  of  conscience,  but  alas  ! 
it  is  but  self,  the  great  god  self,  only  to  yourselves. 
The  King's  Majesty  winks  at  Barbadoes,  where  Jews 
and  all  sorts  of  Christian  and  Antichristian  persua 
sions  are  free,  but  our  grant,  some  few  weeks  after 
yours  sealed,  though  granted  as  soon,  if  not  before 
yours,  is  crowned  with  the  King's  extraordinary  favor 
to  this  colony,  as  being  a  banished  one,  in  which  his 
Majesty  declared  himself  that  he  would  experiment, 
whether  civil  government  could  consist  with  such  lib 
erty  of  conscience.  This  his  Majesty's  grant  was 
startled  at  by  his  Majesty's  high  officers  of  state,  who 
were  to  view  it  in  course  before  the  sealing,  but  fear 
ing  the  lion's  roaring,  they  couched,  against  their 
wills,  in  obedience  to  his  Majesty's  pleasure. 

"  Some  of  yours,  as  I  heard  lately,  told  tales  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  viz.  that  we  are  a  profane 
people,  and  do  not  keep  the  Sabbath,  but  some  do 
plough,  &c.  But,  first,  you  told  him  not  how  we 
suffer  freely  all  other  persuasions,  yea  the  common 
prayer,  which  yourselves  will  not  suffer.  If  you  say 
you  will,  you  confess  you  must  suffer  more,  as  we  do. 

"  2.  You  know  this  is  but  a  color  to  your  design, 
for,  first,  you  know  that  all  England  itself  (after  the 
formality  arid  superstition  of  morning  and  evening 
prayer)  play  away  their  Sabbath.  3d.  You  know 


72  APPENDIX. 

yourselves  do  not  keep  the  Sabbath,  that  is  the  sev 
enth  day,  &LC. 

"  3.  You  know  that  famous  Calvin  and  thousands 
more  held  it  but  ceremonial  and  figurative,  from  Col- 
ossians  2,  &c.  and  vanished  ;  and  that  the  day  of 
worship  was  alterable  at  the  churches'  pleasure. 
Thus  also  all  the  Romanists  confess,  saying,  viz,  that 
there  is  no  express  scripture,  first,  for  infants'  bap 
tisms  ;  nor,  second,  for  abolishing  the  seventh  day, 
and  instituting  of  the  eighth  day  worship,  but  that  it 
is  at  the  churches'  pleasure. 

"  4.  You  know,  that  generally,  all  this  whole  col 
ony  observe  the  first  day,  only  heie  and  there  one  out 
of  conscience,  another  out  of  covetousness,  make  no 
conscience  of  it. 

4<  5.  You  know  the  greatest  part  of  the  world  make 
no  conscience  of  a  seventh  day.  The  next  part  of 
the  world,  Turks,  Jews  and  Chiistians,  keep  three 
different  days,  Friday,  Saturday,  Sunday  for  their 
Sabbath  and  day  of  worship,  and  every  one  maintains 
his  own  by  the  longest  sword. 

"  5.  I  have  offered,  and  do,  by  these  presents,  to 
discuss  by  disputation,  writing  or  printing,  among 
other  points  of  differences,  these  three  positions ;  first, 
that  forced  worship  stinks  in  God's  nostrils.  2d. 
That  it  denies  Christ  Jesus  yet  to  be  come,  and  makes 
the  church  yet  national,  figurative  and  ceremonial. 
3d.  That  in  these  flames  about  religion,  as  his  Ma 
jesty,  his  father  and  grandfather  have  yielded,  there 


APPENDIX.  73 

is  no  other  prudent,  Christian  way  of  preserving  peace 
in  the  world,  but  by  permission  of  differing  con 
sciences.  Accordingly,  I  do  now  offer  to  dispute 
these  points  and  other  points  of  difference,  if  you 
please,  at  Hartford,  Boston  and  Plymouth.  For  the 
manner  of  the  dispute  and  the  discussion,  if  you  think 
fit,  one  whole  day  each  month  in  summer,  at  each 
place,  by  course,  I  am  ready,  if  the  Lord  permit, 
and,  as  I  humbly  hope,  assist  me. 

"  It  is  said,  that  you  intend  not  to  invade  our  spir 
itual  or  civil  liberties,  but  only  (under  the  advantage 
of  first  sealing  your  charter)  to  right  the  privateers 
that  petition  to  you.  It  is  said,  also,  that  if  you  had 
but  Mishquomacuck  and  Narraganset  lands  quietly 
yielded,  you  would  stop  at  Coweset,  &/c.  Oh,  Sir, 
what  do  these  thoughts  preach,  but  that  private  cabins 
rule  all,  whatever  become  of  the  ship  of  common 
safety  and  religion,  which  is  so  much  pretended  in 
New  England  ?  Sir,  I  have  heard  further,  and  by 
some  that  say  they  know,  that  something  deeper  than 
all  which  hath  been  mentioned  lies  in  the  three  colo 
nies'  breasts  and  consultations.  I  judge  it  not  fit  to 
commit  such  matter  to  the  trust  of  paper,  &c.  but  on 
ly  beseech  the  Father  of  spirits  to  guide  our  poor  be 
wildered  spirits,  for  his  name  and  mercy  sake. 

"  15.  Whereas  our  case  seems  to  be  the  case  of 
Paul  appealing  to  Caesar  against  the  plots  of  his  reli 
gious,  zealous  adversaries,  I  hear  you  pass  not  of  our 
petitions  and  appeals  to  his  Majesty,  for  partly  you 


74  APPENDIX. 

think  the  King  will  not  own  a  profane  people  that  do 
not  keep  the  Sabbath;  partly  you  think  that  the  King 
incompetent  judge,  but  you  will  force  him  to  law  also, 
to  confirm  your  first-born  Esau,  though  Jacob  had 
by  the  heels,  and  in  God's  holy  time  must  carry  the 
birthright  and  inheritance.  I  judge  your  surmise  is  a 
dangerous  mistake,  for  patents,  grants  and  charters, 
and  such  like  royal  favors,  are  not  laws  of  England, 
and  acts  of  Parliament,  nor  matters  of  propriety  and 
meum  and  tuum  between  the  King  and  his  subjects, 
which,  as  the  times  have  been,  have  been  sometimes 
triable  in  inferior  Courts ;  but  such  kind  of  grants 
have  been  like  high  offices  in  England,  of  high  hon 
or  and  ten,  yea  twenty  thousand  pounds  gain  per 
annum,  yet  revocable  or  curtable  upon  pleasure,  ac 
cording  to  the  King's  better  information,  or  upon  his 
Majesty's  sight,  or  misbehavior,  ingratefulness,  or  de 
signs  fraudulently  plotted,  private  and  distinct  from 
him. 

"  16.  Sir,  I  lament  that  such  designs  should  be 
carried  on  at  such  a  time,  while  we  are  stript  and 
whipt,  and  are  still  under  (the  whole  country)  the 
dreadful  rods  of  God,  in  our  wheat,  hay,  corn,  cattle, 
shipping,  trading,  bodies  and  lives ;  when,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  water,  all  sorts  of  consciences  (yours 
and  ours)  are  frying  in  the  Bishops'  pan  and  furnace ; 
when  the  French  and  Romish  Jesuits,  the  firebrands 
of  the  world  for  their  god  belly  sake,  are  kindling  at 
our  back,  in  this  country,  especially  with  the  Mo- 


APPENDIX.  75 

hawks   and   Mohegans,  against  us,  of  which  I  know 
and  have  daily  information. 

"  17.  If  any  please  to  say,  is  there  no  medicine  for 
this  malady  1  Must  the  nakedness  of  New-England, 
like  some  notorious  strumpet,  be  prostituted  lo  the 
blaspheming  eyes  of  all  nations  ?  Must  we  be  put  to 
plead  before  his  Majesty,  and  consequently  the  Lord 
Bishops,  our  common  enemies,  &,c.  I  answer,  the 
Father  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  consolations  hath 
graciously  discovered  to  rne,  as  I  believe,  a  remedy, 
which,  if  taken,  will  quiet  all  minds,  yours  and  ours, 
will  keep  yours  and  ours  in  quiet  possession  and  en 
joyment  of  their  lands,  which  you  all  have  so  dearly 
bought  and  purchased  in  this  barbarous  country,  and 
so  long  possessed  amongst  these  wild  savages  ;  will 
preserve  you  both  in  the  liberties  and  honors  of  your 
charters  and  governments,  without  the  least  impeach 
ment  of  yielding  one  to  another;  with  a  strong  curb 
also  to  those  wild  barbarians  and  all  the  barbarians 
of  this  country,  without  troubling  of  compromisers 
and  arbitrators  between  you  ;  without  any  delay,  or 
long  and  chargeable  and  grievous  address  to  our 
King's  Majesty,  whose  gentle  and  serene  soul  must 
needs  be  afflicted  to  be  troubled  again  with  us.  If 
you  please  to  ask  me  what  my  prescription  is,  I  will 
not  put  you  off  to  Christian  moderation  or  Christian 
humility,  or  Christian  prudence,  or  Christian  love,  or 
Christian  self-denial,  or  Christian  contention  or  pa 
tience.  For  I  design  a  civil,  a  humane  and  political 


76  APPENDIX. 

medicine,  which,  if  the  God  of  Heaven  please  to 
bless,  you  will  find  it  effectual  to  all  the  ends  I  have 
proposed.  Only  I  must  crave  your  pardon,  both  par 
ties  of  you,  if  I  judge  it  not  fit  to  discover  it  at  pres 
ent.  I  know  you  are  both  of  you  hot ;  I  fear  myself, 
also.  If  both  desire,  in  a  loving  and  calm  spirit,  to 
enjoy  your  rights,  1  promise  you,  with  God's  help,  to 
help  you  to  them,  in  a  fair  and  sweet  and  easy  way. 
My  receipt  will  not  please  you  all.  If  it  should  so 
please  God  to  frown  upon  us  that  you  should  not  like 
it,  I  can  but  humbly  mourn,  and  say  with  the  prophet, 
that  \\hich  must  perish  must  perish.  And  as  to  my 
self,  in  endeavoring  after  your  temporal  and  spiritual 
peace,  1  humbly  desire  to  say,  if  I  perish,  I  perish. 
It  is  but  a  shadow  vanished,  a  bubble  broke,  a  dream 
finished.  Eternity  will  pay  for  all. 

"  Sir,  I  am  your  old  and  true  friend  and  servant, 

"  R.  W. 

"  To  my  honored  and  ancient  friend,  Mr.  Thomas 
Prince,  Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony,  these  present. 
And  by  his  honored  hand  this  copy,  sent  to  Connecti 
cut,  whom  it  most  concerneth,  I  humbly  present  to 
the  General  Court  of  Plymouth,  when  next  assem 
bled." 


APPENDIX.  77 


NOTE    D. 

"  Wliat  cheer."  This  is  a  phrase  learned  by  the 
Indians,  among  the  whites.  It  was  used  as  a  friendly 
greeting,  or  salutation;  as,  "  How  do  ye  do? — How 
fare  ye?"  &c.  With  this  phrase  for  a  title,  Hon. 
JOB  DURFEE,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Judicial 
Court  of  Rhode  Island,  published,  some  two  years 
since,  a  poem  which  celebrates  ROGER  WILLIAMS, 
and  some  of  the  principal  colonial  events  of  New 
England,  and  especially  of  Rhode  Island,  in  his  time. 
It  is  dedicated  to  "  Rev.  ROMEO  ELTON,  Professor  of 
Languages  in  £>rown  University."  From  it,  we  have 
taken  the  liberty  to  make  the  following  extracts  ;  wish 
ing  that  the  work  itself  were  more  generally  known 
and  read. 

Of  Mr.  Williams's  journey  from  Salem,  after  his 
banishment,  and  some  subsequent  incidents,  the  writer 
says : — 

In  boundless  forests  now  our  founder  trod, 

And  South-west  far  his  doubtful  course  he  took ; 

The  lofty  pines  and  cedars  round  him  nod — 

Loud  roars  the  tempest  through  the  leafless  oak ; 

Deep  lies  the  snow  upon  the  frozen  sod, 

Arid  still  the  storm's  descending  torrents  choke 

The  Heavens  above;  and  only  fancy  could, 

So  dim  the  view,  conceive  the  solitude. 


78  APPENDIX. 

Above  his  head  the  branches  writhe  and  bend, 
Or  in  the  mingled  wreck  their  ruin  flies — 

The  storm  redoubles,  and  the  whirlwinds  blend 
The  rising  snow-drift  with  descending  skies; 

And  oft  the  crags  a  friendly  shelter  lend 

His  breathless  bosom,  and  his  sightless  eyes  ; 

But,  when  the  transient  gust  its  fury  spends, 

He  through  the  storm  again  upon  his  journey  wends. 


Sire  Williams  journeyed  in  the  forest  lone  ; 

And  then  night's  thickening  shades  began  to  fill 
His  soul  with  doubt — for  shelter  had  he  none — 
And  all  the  out-stretched  waste  was  clad  with  one 

Vast  mantle  hoar.     And  he  began  to  hear 
At  times  the  fox's  bark,  and  the  fierce  howl 

Of  wolf,  sometimes  afar — sometimes  so  near, 
That  in  the  very  glen  they  seemed  to  prowl 

Where  now  he,  wearied,  paused — and  then  his  ear 
Started  to  note  some  bhaggy  monster's  growl, 

That  Irom  his  snow-clad  rocky  den  did  peer, 

Shrunk  with  gaunt  famine  in  that  tempest  drear, 

And  scenting  human  blood— yea,  and  so  nigh, 
Thrice  did  our  northern  tiger  seem  to  come, 

He  thought  he  heard  the  fagots  crackling  by, 

And  saw,  through  driven  snow  and  twilight  gloom, 

Peer  from  the  thickets  his  fierce  burning  eye, 

Scanning  his  destined  prey,  and  through  the  broom. 

Thrice  stealing  on  his  ears  the  whining  cry 

Swelled  by  degrees  above  the  tempest  high. 


APPENDIX.  79 

"  Father  of  mercies  !  thou  the  wanderer's  guide, 
In  this  dire  storm  along  the  howling  waste, 

Thanks  for  the  shelter  thou  dost  here  provide, 
Thanks  for  the  mercies  of  the  day  that's  past; 

Thanks  for  the  frugal  fare  thou  hast  supplied; 
And  Oh  !  may  still  thy  tender  mercies  last; — 

May  the  delusion  of  our  race  subside, 

That  chains  man's  conscience  to  the  ruler's  pride. 

Grant  that  thy  humble  instrument  still  shun 

His  persecutors  in  their  eager  quest; — 
Grant  the  asylum,  yet  to  be  begun, 

To  persecution's  exiles  yield  a  rest; 
Let  ages  after  ages  take  the  boon, 

And  in  religious  freedom  still  be  blest- 
Grant  that  I  live  until  this  task  be  done, 
And  then  O  Lord  !  receive  me  as  thine  own." 

Our  father  ceased,  and  with  keen  relish  he 
Refreshed  his  wearied  frame  in  that  lone  dell ; 

Ah  !  little  can  his  far  posterity 

Sense  now  the  pleasures  of  that  frugal  meal; 

For  naught  he  knew  of  pampered  luxury, 
But  toil  and  fast  had  done  their  office  well, 

And  not  the  dainties  brought  o'er  India's  sea, 

Or  wrung  from  sweat  of  modern  slavery. 


Of  all  the  monsters  of  the  dreary  wood, 
None  like  the  panther  did  the  hunter  fear ; 

For  man  and  beast  he  fearlessly  pursued — 
Whilst  others  shunned  he  was  allured  by  fire ; 

And  Williams  knew  how  perilous  his  mood, 
And  for  the  trying  onset  did  prepare ; 

Still  by  the  rising  blaze  he  firmly  stood, 

And  every  dangerous  avenue  he  viewed. 


80  APPENDIX. 

In  God  he  trusted  for  deliverance- 
He  thought  of  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den — 

He  waited  silent  for  the  fierce  advance — 
He  heard  the  fagots  break  along  the  glen — 


But  at  this  moment  from  the  darkness  broke 
A  human  voice  in  Narraganset's  tongue  j 

"  Neemat !  "  (my  brother)  in  kind  tone  it  spoke, 
"  How  comes  Awanux  these  drear  wilds  among? 

And  at  the  accents  the  dark  thickets  shook, 
And  from  them  lightly  the  red  hunter  sprung, 

And  from  his  belt  familiarly  he  took, 

And  fired  his  calumet,  and  curled  its  smoke. 

Then  to  our  founder  passed  the  simple  cheer, 
In  sign  of  friendship  to  a  wandering  man, 

"  Let  not,"  he  said,  "  my  brother  quake  with  fear, 
"  'T  was  Waban's  cry  at  which  the  monsters  ran. 


"  'T  were  hard  to  tell  my  brother  of  the  woods, 

What  cause  has  forced  his  pale-faced  brother  here. 
The  red  and  white  men  have  their  different  modes, 

And  scant  is  Narraganset's  tongue  I  fear, 
In  fitting  terms  to  teach  my  brother's  ear, 

The  themes  of  strife  among  white  multitudes — 
Themes  yet  unknown  within  these  forests  drear, 

Where  undisturbed  ye  worship  various  gods, 
And  persecution  leave  to  white  abodes. 

The  letter  of  Mr.  Williams,  written  to  his  wife 
from  Seekonk,  is  thus  described  : — 


APPENDIX.  81 

'T  was  on  the  inner  bark  slript  from  the  pine, 

Our  father  penciled  this  epistle  rare  ; 
Two  blazing  pine  knots  did  his  torches  shine, 

His  desk  a  pallet,  and  a  mat  his  chair : 
He  wrote  his  spouse  the  brief  familiar  line, 

How  he  had  journeyed,  and  his  roof  now  where ; 
And  that  poor  Waban  was  his  host  benign, 
And  bade  her  cheer  and  give  him  blankets  fine. 

Then  bade  her  send  the  Indian  presents  bought, 
When  first  they  suffered  persecution's  thrall — 

The  strings  of  Wampum,  and  the  scarlet  coat, 
The  tinselled  belt  and  jewel  coronal ; 

His  pocket  Bible,  which  his  haste  forgot, 
For  he  had  cheering  hopes  of  Waban's  soul ; 

Then  gave  her  solace  to  the  bad  unknown, 

That  God  o'errules  and  still  protects  his  own. 

After  the  chief,  Awanax,  had  related  to  Mr.  Wil 
liams,  the  white  men's  demands  for  lands,  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  satisfied  them,  the  poet  gives 
the  following  graphic  sketch  of  the  supposed  conver 
sation  : — 

"  Brother  I  know  that  all  these  lands  are  thine — 
These  rolling  rivers  and  these  waving  trees, — 

From  the  Great  Spirit  came  the  gift  divine ; 

And  who  would  trespass  upon  grants  like  these? 

Naught  would  I  take,  e'en  if  the  power  were  mine, 
Of  all  thy  lands,  lest  it  should  Him  displease  j 

But  for  just  meed  should  thou  some  part  resign, 

Would  the  Great  spirit  blame  the  deed  benign  ?  " 

"  'Tis  not  the  peag,"  said  the  sagamore, 
"  Nor  knives,  nor  guns,  nor  garments  red  as  blood, 
G 


82  APPENDIX, 

That  buy  the  lands  I  hold  dominion  o'er — 

Lands  that  Were  fashioned  by  the  red  man's  God; 

But  to  my  friend  I  give,  and  take  no  more 
Than  to  his  generous  bosom  may  seern  good  ; 

But  still  we  pass  the  belt>  and  for  the  lands, 

He  strengthens  mine,  and  strengthen  1  his  hands." 

Having  carried  his  hero  through  various  vicissi 
tudes,  and  introduced  his  readers  to  many  wild  and 
savage  scenes,  the  poet  proceeds  : — 

Who  on  the  prostrate  trunk  lias  risen  now, 
And  doe*  with  cleaving  steel  the  blows  renew  ? 

Broad  irf  the  beaver  of  his  manly  brow, 
His  mantle  gmy,  his  hozen  azure  blue  ; 

His  feet  are  dripping  with  dissolving  snow; 
His  garments  sated  with  the  morning  dew  ; 

His  nerves  seem  strengthened  with  the  labor  past; — 

His  visage  hardened  by  the  winter's  blast. 

Though  changed  by  sufferings,  'tis  our  founder  yet; 

Tht're  does  he  hope,  and  labor,  but,  in  vain, 
On  free  opinion's  base  to  build  a  State, 

Wlieie  reason  aye  shall  spurn  the  tyrant's  chain; 
But.  nh  !  unhappy  man  !  the  bigot's  hate, 

Will  still,  1  fear,  thy  lofty  soul  restrain  : 
Will  rob  thee  even  of  an  exile's  home, 
And  leave  thee  still  in  savage  wilds  to  roam. 

Hard  by  yon  little  fountain,  clear  and  sheen, 

Whose  swollen  streamlet  murmurs  down  the  glade, 

Whfie  groves  of  hemlocks  and  of  cedars  green, 
Stand  'gainst  the  northern  storm  a  barricade, 

Springs  the  first  mansion  of  his  rude  demesne, 
A  slender  wigwam  by  red  Waban  made : 


APPENDIX.  83 

Such  is  sire  Williams'  shelter  from  the  blast, 
And  there  his  rest  when  daily  toils  are  past. 

Yet  seldom  from  the  storm  he  shrinks  away, 
With  his  own  hands  he  's  laboring  to  rear 

A  mansion,  where  his  wife  and  children  may, 
In  happier  days,  partake  the  social  cheer; 

Where  no  sour  bigot  may  in  wrath  essay 
To  make  the  free-born  spirit  quail  with  fear, 

At  threat  of  scourire,  of  banishment  and  death, 

For  the  free  thought — the  soul's  sustaining  breath. 


Boast  of  your  swords,  ye  blood-stained  conquerors — boast 
The  free-born  millions  ye  have  made  your  slaves; 

Exult  o'er  fields  where  liberty  was  lost, 

And  patriots  fell — where  lingeiing  o'er  their  gravea, 

A  nation's  memory,  like  a  vengeful  ghost, 
Broods  never  slumbering,  and  forever  raves 

Of  crimes  unanswered — till  the  gathered  wrath 

Of  ages  bursts  on  your  ensanguined  path — 

And  where  ore  ye  ?  some  remnant  left  behind, 
Some  sculptured  marble,  or  decaying  fane, 

May  shew  where  once  ye  triumphed  mad  and  blind, 
Shew  but  for  genius  ye  had  fought  in  vain; 

Then  look  to  him  whose  quiet  toils  unbind 
The  bonds  which  bigots  gave  you  to  enchain 

Man's  angel  spirit  to  some  demon's  will, 

And  at  your  guilty  deeds,  blush  and  be  still. 

Mr.  Durfee  thus  introduces  the  interview  of  Mr. 
Williams  with  Waban,  whom  he  was  about  to  despatch 
to  Salem  for  his  wife  and  children : — 


84  APPENDIX. 

"  But,  Waban,  1  have  now  a  task  for  thee — 
Think  not  of  him,  be  thy  attention  here — 

Whilst  the  snows  covered  earth,  and  ice  the  sea, 
I  left  my  consort  and  my  children  dear ; 

'T was  stormy  night — the  hunter  sheltered  me; 
And  in  his  lodge  he  gave  abundant  cheer; 

Then  to  the  rising  sun  he  cheerly  sped, 

And  saw  'mong  faces  pale  the  wanderer's  shed. 

"  There  too  he  saw  his  little  children  play, 
And  the  white  hand  which  gave  the  blanket  red, 

But  now  far  distant  seems  that  gloomy  day, 

When  from  their  presence  thy  white  sachem  fled 

The  lodge  is  built — the  garden  smiling  gay — 
Will  the  swift  foot  once  more  the  forest  thread, 

And  guide  the  children  and  the  snow-white  hand, 

Along  the  howling  wilds  to  this  far  distant  land  ?  " 

Waban  replied,  the  nimble  foot  will  go — 

But  a  gaunt  wolf  may  haunt  the  hunter's  way, 

And  he  will  sharp  his  darts,  and  string  his  bow, 
And  gird  his  loins  as  for  the  battle  fray ; 

The  Priest  of  Chepian  ne'er  forgets  a  foe — 
His  vengeance  lasts  until  a  bloody  day 

Shall  feed  the  crows,  or  still  a  bloodier  night 

Give  the  gaunt  wolf  a  banquet  ere  'tis  light. 

"  God  is  our  trust !"  our  pious  founder  said, 
"  Arm,  and  go  forth  confiding  in  his  might — 

Far  as  a  banished  exile's  foot  dare  tread, 

On  ground  forbidden,  will  thy  sachem  white 

Journey  to  meet  thee.     When  the  sun  has  shed 
Five  times  from  orient  skies  his  flaming  light, 

Williams  will  meet  his  spouse  and  children  dear, 

Hid  in  brown  shades  forbidden  Salem  near. 


APPENDIX.  85 

On  the  return  of  Waban,  \vith  Mrs.  Williams  and 
her  children,  he  is  met  by  Mr.  Williams ;  and  the 
scene  is  thus  described  : — 

But  ere  he  gained  the  destined  point,  or  viewed 

The  fell  assassin,  the  dry  fagots'  crash, 
The  waving  coppice,  and  re-echoing  wood, 

And  sounding  foot-falls,  down  the  lawns  that  dash, 
Told  him  how  vainly  he  his  foe  pursued, 

Or  that  pursuit  were  dangerously  rash  ; 
Then  turning  slowly,  he  retraced  his  track, 
As  his  foiled  leap  the  lion  measures  back. 

The  matron,  trembling,  viewed  the  passing  scene  ; 

For  she  had  marked  that  hostile  arrow's  flight, 
And  Williams'  glance,  and  Waban's  ireful  mien, 

Told  her  what  dangers  did  their  fears  excite  ; 
No  frantic  shrieks  the  mother's  acts  demean  ; 

A  mother's  cares  did  every  thought  invite} 
And  o'er  the  little  fountains  of  our  blood, 
She  stretched  her  arms'  frail  shield,  and  trembling  Btood. 

Though  with  more  calmness,  yet  with  equal  dread, 
The  anxious  Hither  viewed  the  threatening  harm; 

And,  under  God,  what  was  there  now  to  aid 
Save  his  own  firmness  and  red  Waban's  arm? 

Behind — before — a  dreary  forest  spread — 
Far  offNeponset — here  the  dire  alarm 

Of  lurking  savage — whilst,  the  gathering  night 

Still  added  horror  to  a  doubtful  flight. 

He  paused  one  moment,  and  his  means  forlorn 
To  guard  his  onward  march  he  thus  arrayed: 

The  palfreys  shielded  by  the  burdens  borne, 
Each  side  the  moving  group,  were  slowly  led ; 


86  APPENDIX. 

This  reigned  by  him,  that  by  his  eldest  born, 

Whilst  nimble  Wuhan  scoured  ihe  threatening  shade — 
On  every  side  the  watchful  hunter  ran  ; 
Now  fenced  their  flanks — now  pioneered  their  van. 

They  proceeded  unharmed. 

The  reception  of  Williams  and  family,  at  the  now- 
city  of  Providence,  is  thus  portrayed  : — 

tf  Waban,"  said  Williams,  "  we  may  venture  now, 
But  pause  ye  short  of  the  sure  arrow's  flight;" 

Instant  the  red  man  drove  the  foaming  prow 
Along  the  cleaving  flood,  and,  at  the  siyht 

Of  the  red  multitudes,  the  rose's  glow 

Fading,  at  once,  left  Mary's  cheek  all  white  ; 

And  sudden  fears  her  children's  breasts  surprise, 

And,  with  their  little  hands,  they  trembling  veil  their  eyes. 

Full  in  the  front  of  that  vast  multitude, 

Within  an  arrow's  flight,  their  skiff  they  stayed  ; 

A  sudden  silence  hushed  the  listening  wood  ; 

The  crowds  all  paused,  and  with  wild  eyes  surveyed 

The  pale-faced  group — which  in  like  stillness  viewed 
The  wondering  throngs. — At  length  the  woodland  glade 

Moves  with  their  numbers — down  the  banks  they  pour^ 

Swarming  and  gathering  on  the  dark'ning  shore. 

As  when  some  urchin,  with  a  heedless  blow, 

The  insect  nations  of  the  hive  alarms  ; 
Down  from  their  cells  the  watchful  myriads  flow, 

And  earth  and  air  rolls  black  with  murmuring  swarms; 
So  from  the  woods  the  wondering  warriors  go, 

So  o'er  the  dark'ning  strand  their  number  forms; 
None  save  their  haughty  chiefs  remain  behind, 
And  they  the  lofty  banks  and  forest  margin  lined 


APPENDIX.  87 

Then  silence  reigned  again — but  still  they  stared, — 
Some  clasped  their  knives  and  some  tlieir  arrows  drew; 

Then  from  his  seat  his  form  our  Founder  reared, 
Beneath  him  rocking  rolled  the  frail  canoe  ; 

His  hand  lie  raised,  and  manly  forehead  bared, 

And  straight  their  former  friend  the  sachems  knew; 

Netop,  What  cheer  !  broke  on  the  listening  air  ; 

What  cheer  !   What  cheer  !  was  echoed  here  and  there. 

And  straight  the  kindling  crowds  burst  on  his  ear, 
Their  shouts  embodied  sought  the  joyous  sky, 

Witli  open  arms,  and  greeting  of  What  cheer, 
Lived  all  the  shoies,  and  banks,  and  summits  high; 

What  cheer  !  What  cheer  !  resounded  far  and  near, 
What  cheer  !   What  cheer  !  the  hollow  woods  reply; 

What  cheer  !  What  cheer  !  swells  the  exulting  gales, 

Sweeps  o'er  the  laughing  hills,  and  trembles  through  the 
vales. 


Miantonomi,  stepping  from  the  crowd, 

Stretched  furth  his  brawny  hand,  and  cried  "  What 

cheer ! 
Welcome,  my  brother  !  sny,  what  lowering  cloud, 

O'er  Seekonk's  eastern  marge,  impels  thee  here; 
Be  it  Pequot  in  his  numbers  proud, 

I  hold  his  greeting  in  this  glittering  spear; 
But,  oh  !  perchance  my  brother  seeks  this  place, 
To  share  with  us  the  sacred  rites  of  peace." 

"  Not  so,  brave  chief. — It  is  to  seek  a  home, 

By  seer  announced,  by  Heaven  to  me  assigned; 

Yonder  abode  lies  wrapt  in  sable  gloom, 
Sprung  not  from  Pequot,  but  the  Plymouth  kind ; 


88  APPENDIX. 

My  promised  harvest  blighted  in  the  bloom, 

My  voiceless  roof— all,  all  have  I  resigned, 
And  hither  come  to  seek  Mooshausick's  plain, 
And  beg  the  gift  once  proffered  me  in  vain." 


Here  grave  Canonicus  came  from  the  throng — 
"  Welcome,  rny  son !  "  exclaimed  the  aged  chief, 

(i  Bear  thou  the  inflictions  of  thy  kindred's  wrong, 
Like  a  brave  man,  not  with  a  woman's  grief} 

The  lands  thou  seest  shall  all  to  thee  belong ; 
And  for  thy  comforts  lost,  a  moment  brief 

Shall  e'en  their  loss  repair — o'er  yonder  height 

Is  the  domain  where  Chepian  ruled  of  late. 


NOTK  E. 

Of  all  the  various  employments  in  which  the  writer, 
or  any  man  was  ever  engaged,  (whose  nerves  were 
not  made  of  iron,  and  forehead  of  brass)  begging  money 
is  the  most  irksome.  To  raise  the  requisite  sum 
therefore,  which  was  necessary  to  discharge  the  debt 
standing  against  the  Roger  Williams  Church,  we  had 
resort  to  a  series  of  scientific  and  historical  lectures. 
Those  gentlemen  who  were  so  generous  as  to  give 
their  services,  created  a  profit  in  the  sale  of  tickets. 
Besides  a  number  of  the  clergy  of  Providence,  who 
lectured  gratuitously  in  this  series,  there  were  also  the 
Hon.  Tristram  Surges,  Hon.  Job  Durfee  and  others, 


APPENDIX..  89 

whose  kindness  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  The  Hon. 
J.  S.  Buckingham,  late  member  of  the  British  Parlia 
ment,  now  giving  lectures  in  this  country  descriptive 
of  the  eastern  world,  through  which  he  has  travelled, 
gave  the  last  of  what  were  called  the  "Roger  Wil 
liams  lectures."  The  avails  of  this  lecture,  placed 
more  than  one  hundred  dollars  in  the  funds  of  that 
society. 

As  we  have  occasion  to  mention  the  name  of  this 
gentleman,  we  cannot  consent  to  leave  it  without  fur 
ther  notice.  We  do  not  even  hope  to  see  Mr.  Buck 
ingham,  or  any  other  man  who  is  laboring  to  benefit 
his  race,  occupy  the  unenviable  position,  where  all 
men  will  speak  well  of  him.  But  we  do  hope  to  see 
due  courtesy  and  respect  manifested  to  one  coming, 
as  this  gentleman  does,  to  gratify  us  with  so  much 
that  is  interesting ;  acquired  at  such  great  expense 
and  labor,  from  the  land  of  the  scriptures. 

Having  elevated  himself  from  the  occupation  of  an 
humble  sailor  boy,  to  a  rank  which  places  him  on  a 
level  with  the  scholars  and  legislators  of  his  age,  he 
has  distinguished  himself  by  repeated  acts,  each  of 
which  will  tell  on  the  interests  of  the  world  down  to 
the  latest  generation.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned 
the  abolishment  of  the  East  India  monopoly,  which 
removes  all  obstruction  out  of  the  way  to  free  inter 
course  between  Christian  and  idolatrous  nations  ;  the 
suppression  of  burning  alive  the  widows  !  and  the 
revenue  derived  from  idolatry,  which  has  long  been 


90  APPENDIX. 

such  an  insuperable  barrier  in  the  way  of  mission 
ary  labor  in  Hindustan,  with  many  other  modifications 
and  improvements  in  the  East  India  government. 
After  having  given  an  impetus  to  the  temperance  re 
formation,  that  no  other  man  in  Europe  ever  hid  done, 
by  introducing  the  subject  to  the  investigation  of  Par 
liament,  which  resulted,  amid  the  scoffs  and  sneers  o\ 
many  of  the  members,  in  triumphant  success  to  this 
work  of  humanity,  throughout  Great  Brilian.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  the  suppression  of  what 
he  deemed  cruel  and  wrong  in  the  laws  and  usages  of 
his  own  native  England — such  as  impressment  and 
flogging  in  the  navy  and  army,  and  many  other  ob 
jects  of  the  kind,  which  raised  an  imperishable  monu 
ment  to  his  memory,  as  a  virtuous  and  humane  legis 
lator. 

Laboring  in  this  department  so  long  as  he  thought 
duty  required,  to  the  grief  of  his  grateful  constituents 
for  services  done,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  Parliament, 
and  is  now  travelling  among  us,  to  learn  our  history, 
and  study  our  manners.  Thus,  having  made  himself 
familiar  with  almost  the  whole  accessible  part  of  the 
Eastern  Hemisphere,  he  has  come  to  the  new  world, 
from  which,  if  his  life  be  spared,  he  will  doubtless 
make  up  another  chapter  of  his  useful  observations  ; 
and  which  we  shall,  no  doubt,  feel  a  great  pleasure  to 
read  as  most  people  have  done,  whatever  comes  from 
his  prolific  pen.  His  whole  course  of  procedure  since 
he  has  been  among  us,  has  been  in  keeping  with  his 


APPENDIX.  91 

true  character — a  gentleman,  and  we  trust,  a  Christian. 
To  the  solicitations  of  the  managers  of  the  various 
benevolent  institutions  with  us,  his  ear  is  never  deaf. 
The  gratuitous  services  which  he  has  thus  rendered, 
has  not  added  hundreds  only,  but  thousands  of  dollars 
to  the  funds  of  these  societies — saying  nothing  of  his 
private  donations.  Yet  lo !  it  is  left  for  an  humble 
New  England  man  to  make  the  discovery  that  Mr. 
Buckingham  is  a  "  humbug."  Strange  that  the  in 
telligence  of  England,  Ireland  and  Scotland,  in  most 
of  whose  cities  and  towns  these  same  lectures  have 
been  given,  had  not,  ere  this  time,  made  such  a  discov 
ery.  And  stranger  still,  that  one  of  the  most  populous 
towns  of  England,  should  have  returned  him  over 
popular  competitors,  humbug  as  he  may  be,  six  suc 
cessive  terms  to  a  seat  in  Parliament! 

But  great  as  the  discovery  is,  which  our  own  yankee 
is  making,  (for  the  discovery  is  now  going  on)  we 
venture  to  predict  that  if  Divine  Providence  shall 
spare  his  life  to  complete  his  present  design,  the  youth 
who  have  chanced  to  attend  his  lectures,  will  be  proud 
to  say,  that  they  have  seen  and  heard  the  Hon.  J.  S. 
BUCKINGHAM. 

If  these  remarks  shall  subject  us  to  the  imputation 
of  enthusiasm  for  the  man,  we  shall  have  the  satisfac 
tion  of  knowing  that  our  attachment  is  not  misplaced 
— for  it  is  to  the  man  whose  future  history  will  show 
that  in  him  has  lived  another  benefactor  of  his  race. 


92  APPENDIX. 

When  Mr.  B.  visited  Providence,  he  gave  lectures 
every  evening  of  one  week  for  the  purpose  of  obtain 
ing  two  evenings  of  his  brief  visit  to  lecture  on  tem 
perance.  At  the  close  of  the  last  temperance  meet 
ing,  the  following  resolutions  were  offered  by  a  mem 
ber  of  the  city  society,  and  carried  by  acclamation. 

Resolved,  That  the  friends  of  temperance  in  this 
city,  hereby  tender  to  Mr.  Buckingham  their  sincere 
and  hearty  thanks  for  his  eloquent  arid  instructive 
discourses,  imparting  (as  they  do)  the  experience  ol 
one,  who  under  the  vicissitudes  of  almost  every  cli 
mate,  and  in  a  great  variety  of  situations  has  realized 
the  practical  advantages  of  temperance. 

Resolved,  That  he  more  especially  deserves  the 
thanks  of  this  society  for  his  consistent  example  o! 
total  abstinence,  which  we  confidently  believe  wili 
produce  beneficial  results  on  the  higher  and  more 
fashionable  classes,  by  teaching  them  that  social  in 
tercourse  needs  not  the  aid  of  alcohol  to  render  il 
pleasurable. 

Also,  the  following  resolutions  were  presented  eacr 
in  their  proper  place. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting,  thai 
the  lectures  on  Egypt  and  Palestine,  as  deiiveied  b} 
the  Hon.  J.  S.  Buckingham,  in  this  city,  have  beer 
productive  of  much  valuable  information,  and  grea 
pleasure  to  the  audience,  that  we  have  been  highlj 
gratified  with  the  happy  manner  in  which  they  have 
been  delivered,  and  that  we  believe  them  worthy  o 
patronage  by  all  lovers  of  useful  knowledge. 

Resolved,  That  in  behalf  of  the  Roger  Williams 
Church  and  Society  in  this  city,  we,  the  undersignec 
feel  it  our  duty  thus  publicly  to  express  our  gratitude 


APPENDIX.  93 

to  the  Honorable  Mr.  Buckingham  for  his  beneficence 
in  giving  the  avails  of  his  last  Oriental  Lecture  in 
this  place,  for  the  benefit  of  their  funds. 

ARTHUR  CAVERNO,  Pastor. 

BENAJAII  WILLIAMS,  JR.,  Deacon. 
City  of  Providence,  Dec.  7,  1838. 
In  our  correspondence  with   Mr.   Buckingham  we 
had  occasion  to  give  some  account  of  the  FOUNDER  of 
the  church,  whose  funds  he  was  solicited  to  aid,  and 
also  of  our  design  to  publish  this  little  book.     It  was 
on  this  occasion  he  wrote  the  following  letter  which 
we  are  at  liberty  to  publish. 

NEW  BEDFORD,  (MASS.)  DEC.  15,  1838. 
REV.  L.  D.  JOHNSON  : 

Dear  Sir:  I  rejoice  to  hear  from  you,  that  you 
are  about  to  publish  a  memorial  of  the  founder  of 
Providence,  and  the  great  champion  and  martyr  of 
religious  liberty,  ROGER  WILLIAMS,  in  connection 
with  the  history  of  the  church  still  bearing  his  name, 
over  which,  as  pastor,  it  must  give  you  great  pleasure 
to  have  presided. 

In  communicating  to  me,  as  you  have  done,  the 
resolutions  of  thanks  passed  by  the  "  Roger  Williams 
Society,"  and  tendered  to  me  for  the  aid  afforded  to 
the  funds  of  their  church,  by  the  receipts  of  the  lec 
ture  on  Palestine,  which  I  gave  for  its  benefit,  at  the 
close  of  my  regular  course  to  the  public  of  Provi 
dence,  you  have  afforded  me  much  pleasure  :  as  I 
shall  always  recur  with  satisfaction  to  the  period, 


94  APPENDIX. 

when  your  urgent  and  pressing  invitation  first  led  me 
to  resolve  on  visiting  your  interesting  city  :  and  always 
remember  with  delight,  the  cordial  hospitality  and 
friendly  intercourse  which  I  enjoyed,  with  my  family, 
at  the  hands  of  many  of  its  most  distinguished  citi 
zens.  But,  above  all,  I  shall  ever  feel  proud  at  the 
association  of  my  humble  name  with  any  labors  in 
connection  with  the  beloved  and  venerated  name  of 
Ro^er  Williams,  and  in  aid  of  the  cause  which  he 

CD 

lived  and  died  to  promote — the  cause  of  genuine 
religion,  purified  from  the  dross  of  human  authority 
and  human  corruptions,  drawn  from  the  clear  foun 
tain  of  the  gospel,  and  sending  its  streams,  freely,  to 
the  heart  of  every  human  being  who  thirsts  after  its 
waters,  and  who  may  corne  and  drink  deeply,  without 
money  and  without  price. 

That  the  city  of  Providence  may  long  continue  to 
shed  a  hallowed  influence  over  the  Christian  world, 
by  the  bright  example  of  its  bold  and  uncompromising 
founder,  until  religious  liberty  shall  spread  its  heaven- 
born  principles  over  the  whole  earth  :  and  that  you 
may  be  individually  blessed  in  your  disinterested  la 
bors  to  promote  the  cause  of  temperance  and  piety, 
in  which  you  have  so  long  been  engaged,  is  the  sin 
cere  and  earnest  prayer  of,  dear  sir, 

Your  faithful  friend, 

J.  S.  BUCKINGHAM. 


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